Elemental Gem
by DaruyaChan
Summary: Imagine yourself as that one strange girl always sitting by herself. Now imagine being that girl and being dragged out of your dimension by Edward Elric. Then you find out that you are the greatest power known to man and are now attached to the Gate. Yeah
1. The Girl

**All right! Here goes the first chapter in one of my favorite fanfictions. I'm not really sure exactly when this happens because SPOILER Hughes isn't dead, but I'm pretty sure it's beyond the point that SPOILER he was killed. Maybe I just re-wrote it. I don't know. Anyhow, enjoy it and make sure to review! And by the way the name Kaia is pronounced as Kai like in kayak and then uh. One more thing. This is more of an introductory chapter so yes it's a bit slow, but things should be moving right along by next chapter. Just wait to see if you like it. And I'm sad to say that I don't own FMA. Heh, that rhymed.**

**Chapter 1: The Girl**

Edward Elric stood in an unoccupied lot behind one of the old warehouses. The silence surrounding him was deafening, especially with the knowledge that thousands of people lay sleeping around him. His younger brother, Alphonse, ran up to stand beside him. Mustang, still his superior, strode up to them in the otherwise empty space. A bit of powdery dirt stirred by his footsteps settled on a rickety wooden fence rotting on the perimeter of the lot, bent by the wear of time. A few minutes passed with no greetings or exchanges of any kind. The gate creaked on rusty hinges as a tall man pushed it open. He was entirely concealed by a heavy overcoat. He flipped the hood back to reveal his horrifyingly deformed body. It was Tucker, the half-human chimera. He spoke in a raspy whisper.

"Now Edward, you can open the gate. This girl has enough life force to allow it. You can grasp it and conduct the energy through your transmutation circle. There will be power to spare by using her." Tucker's glasses glinted, making him look slightly mad.

"But isn't sacrificing a baby the only way to have that much connection to the Gate?" Ed sounded skeptical. He glared contemptuously at the creature.

"Fullmetal, did you not read the file we compiled on her?" Mustang yelled, sending several startled crows flying.

"Mustang, it's two a.m. Don't you think you should be a bit _quieter,_ just maybe?" Alphonse said gently. Mustang didn't reply, so it was clear that he had been subdued. That was just his personality to get surly when being proven incorrect.

"I read the file but what's it have to do with opening the Gate?" Ed hissed.

"So you didn't make the connection. The colonel didn't want to put it in print so there was no chance of the information being leaked. Think Ed. This girl doesn't fit in with society. She spends time meditating while others socialize. She has _no_ class to fit in with, no friends. She is a constant disciple of the martial arts. She has been orphaned from birth with no knowledge of her parents. Since then she has lived in a foster home with seven other kids with little or no individual attention. She excels in academics so is shunned by most in her age category. She only participates enough to get an A, the highest grade marking, in her physical education class in order to conceal her physical talents from the judgmental eyes of her classmates. What do you think that kind of seclusion could do to a person?" Tucker hinted. Ed thought for a second.

"Well she seems to be getting along just fine. I mean she hasn't tried to kill herself or anything, so she must be somewhat normal. That must mean she has at least one friend." Ed shrugged.

"But she _doesn't_. That's the point. Ed, think what you would be like without your brother or Winry or anyone else who has ever accepted you. Add being helpless to change your life in any way and you have her situation. We have a theory. Every person, as they get older, loses their connection with the Gate. We think we know why that is now, thanks to that girl. When humans make connections to other things and other humans they lose part of their connection with the Gate. This girl has never made any connections," Tucker started.

"But you said she does martial arts! That's a connection!" Ed interrupted.

"That is true. But that only brings her closer to the Gate because fighting is the cause of death for many. Even though she never uses her arts against others there is still the fundamental principle of sending others back to the Gate with her practices. Since she has never made any connections taking her away from the Gate, the initial connection has grown with her life force. That is why her connection is so abnormally large now; she has not tried to make connections," Tucker finished.

"That's a lot of the word connection. I'm confused," Al muttered

"All right, sounds reasonable. I'll do it," Ed agreed after a moment of thought.

"Good." Mustang flashed a brief smirk as he wired Ed with an earpiece and a microphone that would relay Ed's messages back to them.

"I hope the Gate transmits radio waves," Mustang said as he hooked the mike on Ed's jacket.

"You know what you're supposed to do?" Tucker asked, ignoring Mustang's comment.

"Yeah. Shadow her for a day then make contact and bring her back here," Ed recited dutifully, and not without a little sarcasm at their paranoia.

"No violence Fullmetal. Contact us if something goes wrong. And make sure to take notes on her behavior!" Mustang commanded, snapping back to his usual arrogant superiority after a brief lapse into worry.

"Yeah, sure. How am I supposed to find her? Do I get a picture or should I just guess and end up grabbing the wrong one?" Ed was being slightly sarcastic again, as he always was when he got nervous.

"You would be able to find her even without a picture if you took a moment away from admiring yourself and opened your eyes for a change. Just look for the girl who goes around by herself all day, but just to make it easy for you we did get a couple pictures. We have a school photo and the one casual they used for the yearbook. Both were required or she wouldn't have gotten them taken. The casual was taken without her knowing." Mustang handed him two photos with his snide comment. The school photo featured plain blue backdrop and only showed her torso and head. A typical school picture.

"Uniform school?" Ed asked while studying the picture.

"Yeah. It's a college-prep school called Proser's Academy for the Gifted. Fancy title to go along with the uniform," Mustang answered. In the picture the girl was wearing a hunter green shirt that looked a bit too small, so probably a hand-me-down. There was a white insignia on the left breast pocket. It was a sunrise surrounded by the school's name. The girl had a fake and skeptical smile on that clearly showed she thought the photo was completely trivial. She wore no makeup like normal girls her age and hadn't tried to tease her hair into the latest styles. That wasn't to say she was ugly. The first thing anyone would notice was her hair. It went past the picture's edge so you couldn't say how long it was. It was a brilliant blonde color, so bright it almost hurt to look at in the cheesy lighting of the picture. She had a slender face and plump curving lips. Then came the eyes. Ed was stunned. Never before had he seen such a crystal clear blue. They were the color of the bluest sky, the clearest water, the, he could describe it so many different ways. To say the least they were transfixing, amazing, spectacular, yet somehow seemed out of place on her face. It should have fit right in. Blond hair and blue eyes were a pretty common combination. He ignored the feeling. He was probably just nervous. Ed shook his head to dislodge the nagging thoughts. The girl was unlike any other he had seen. She was pretty and didn't need beauty products to show it. He took a deep breath and moved on to the next picture.

He wasn't prepared for what he saw. The hair length mystery was solved. It rippled just past her waist in natural waves. There were those astonishing eyes again but this time her expression was one of pure concentration. She looked to be shouting something as she viciously attacked the air. In this snapshot she was wearing a bleached pleated skirt that looked about two sizes too small and a lumpy gray sweater that practically fell off her shoulders. She was airborne and looked to be in perfect form to attack with what looked like a high kick aimed towards the head. Ed could have guessed that the photo was taken without her knowledge without Mustang telling him so. The information in the file indicated that she didn't want to expose herself like that. He slipped the photos into the right pocket of his large red overcoat.

"So do we have a name?" Ed asked while turning his attention back to Mustang.

"Yes. Such a beautiful name. The girl's parents must have been very original. They named her Kaia. A beautiful name for a beautiful young lady," Tucker answered for Mustang. It was a more emotional and wordy description than what Mustang would have given.

"Kaia, huh. Well, Kaia's life is about to get a lot different. We'll just have to see how she responds to me pulling her to another dimension." Ed was fingering the pictures while he spoke. Tucker silently handed him the file. Ed tucked it into his overcoat and turned his back to the group. He pulled a piece of paper out of his left pants pocket. Drawn on it was a complex transmutation circle with miniscule details. Ed laid it on the ground and clapped his hands together, the activation for his alchemy.

"Remember to relay _everything_ she does to us. And don't be seen!" Mustang reminded rather forcefully as Ed laid his hands on the paper.

"What's her current location?" Ed made no response to Mustang's statement.

"There's a picture in the file. If she sticks to her routine she should be taking the seventeen mile jog to school right now," Tucker replied. Ed grunted and Alphonse fished the file out of Ed's overcoat and found the picture. He held it up for Ed to see. There was that girl again. This time her hair was tied up in a ponytail and she was wearing a blue shirt and khaki pleated skirt for her uniform. Unlike the other two pictures she looked genuinely happy. So she did have a good side. Good to know.

Ed concentrated on the pictured scenery and the girl. At first nothing happened. Then he felt a gentle tug at his mind. Suddenly warmth and joy and sadness and hatred and every other human emotion flooded in. But most of all was the _power_. It was enormous, gargantuan, never-before imagined. It was too much. He had to get rid of it. Ed let the power flow out of his fingers and into the sheet of the paper inscribed with the transmutation circle. The Gate appeared. Truth sat off to the side, but he merely nodded towards the Gate and turned to walk away. It seemed he was fine with Ed's travel. The Gate swung open and innumerable yellow eyes watched him. Ed took the file and the photo back from Al. He was nearing unconsciousness, but he managed to rise and stare back into the Gate.

"Take me to the girl named Kaia," Ed commanded. Numerous tentacle-like arms sprang out of the Gate and scrabbling hands grabbed hold of him. He didn't panic. This was normal. They drew him in and launched him into a journey through time, space, and dimensions.

"Remember to leave a gap for our communications! You'll be able to with her power!" Mustang called. He was right. Kaia's power was welling up inside him again, fighting to be free. It was too much. Ed barely had enough time to ensure that a gap would be left when everything went black.

The next thing he knew he was lying facedown in the grass and there was an annoyingly unidentified buzzing in his ear. Then he heard the soft hum of whispers around him. Where was he? It sounded like many voices, but he couldn't single out individuals let alone decipher what they were saying. That insistent buzzing sound in his ear persisted. Then he became aware of the fact that his head was throbbing painfully. It was as if someone had slammed it over and over into a cement wall. Then he remembered. The throbbing, the buzzing, the voices, it all made sense now. He sat up abruptly and almost passed out again. There were quite a few people clustered around him. He swayed and found that his tongue wouldn't obey him at first. He wondered how long he had been out. Then everything focused. His head cleared and he found the power throbbing within him retreating. The pain and fuzziness was going along with it. He stood just in time to see Kaia walking up to the entrance to the school. She was probing her temples and was wearing a slightly confused expression. She had obviously sensed him tapping her power.

Ed stumbled backwards into the trees surrounding the school's field and ran. He could feel the stares of the students on his back as he made his escape. Nothing made sense, even for him. One question at a time. Ed slowed to a halt. Why was he still in his body? He was still wearing his clothes and had all that he had entered the Gate with. His soul should have been transferred to his likeness on this side of the Gate, but it wasn't.

"Hey Tucker?" Ed said into the mouthpiece.

"What is it Fullmetal?" Mustang replied. Oh well, Ed would take who he could get.

"Any idea what's going on here? I'm still in my body and not the one that lives here." Ed said, not expecting an answer.

"What did you expect Fullmetal? This girl has so much. So much that it knocked you out almost immediately. You should have seen yourself. You went all white and started shaking and-"

"Colonel! Could we please keep to the mission? I'm worried about brother being over there by himself," Al interrupted Mustang's tirade.

"Fine. As I was saying, she is able to do never-before imagined things with ease, even through a shrimp like you. She'll be valuable to us. Just stick to the assignment," Mustang answered. Insults aside, that was a complete answer for him. Ed accepted his reply as true and concentrated on finding Kaia again.

He ran back through the trees and considered glancing at the photos in his pocket once more as he clambered into some bushes near the school's entrance, but he didn't need the pictures. The girl's face would be forever engraved in his mind's eye. He snuck around to the side of the school after consulting the file to find that her first period class was in a modular around that side. The file also said that she always waited outside the classroom door, out of sight from the teacher, until the bell rang. He saw her and immediately ducked behind another modular. He crawled along the ground and under the stairs to start his observations.

**How was it? Now things are about to get interesting. Stay tuned for the next chapter in which we have initial contact. Review as well.**


	2. Initial Contact

**Chapter 2. We get a bit of insight into Kaia's everyday life. All is going well, or so we think, but will it last? Will Ed be able to keep out of the trained eyes of his subject? Will Kaia put up a fight? Will I ever stop talking in this stupid announcer voice? We may never know.**

**Ed: You should really shut up now.**

**Mustang: Yeah, we really need to be moving along. Get back to work.**

**I control you all! You may not command me! I could have you eaten by a giant giroctopus at any time!**

**Ed: But you won't.**

**No, I won't. I love you all too much for that.**

**Al: Now to the story!**

- Chapter 2: Initial Contact

She was twirling a strand of that long blonde hair around her right index finger. With the other hand she was tapping out some complex rhythm on her over-the-shoulder messenger bag. Ed quietly checked the file again to see that she played no instruments, but was often seen doing this. Perhaps she was a musician at heart. Perhaps it was just a nervous twitch. It didn't really matter. Ed was put off a bit by her behavior. People just passed by her as though that was her customary place. That was cruel. Letting her watch with no way inside the normality of life must be painful. The papers crinkled, making the slightest noise, and Ed flinched. If Kaia were really as into the martial arts as the file said she would surely detect him now. Luckily for him she was in deep thought and didn't even notice. She was actually in such deep thought that when the bell rang a couple seconds later she jumped and just managed to stifle a gasp by clapping her hand over her mouth.

She hurried into the classroom in order to be seated and ready by the time the other students came in, so she wouldn't have to mingle with them. All normal according to the file. As the door shut Ed slunk around to the window on the other side of the modular. Kaia sat right in the front so he had a perfect view of her. A group of anorexic-looking girls entered the classroom gossiping loudly enough for Ed to report without being detected.

"She's gone completely according to routine. She noticed that I borrowed some power though. She was rubbing her temples and looked kind of confused when she got to the school. No responses now, it's going quiet," Ed whispered into the mike. He watched Kaia straighten her pens so they were perfectly aligned with both edges of her desk, red on the outside, and black on the inside. They were, not that Ed knew, exactly one point five inches apart, the way they were every morning. As the group of noisy girls in the back ran to their seats when the bell started ringing, Kaia stared at her pens as if daring them to move. One girl bumped into her desk and knocked the pens askew. Not only did Kaia catch them as they fell off the desk she almost immediately returned them to their perfect alignment. She tucked her hair back behind her ears and concentrated on the pens again. Ed noticed that more quiet girls and a few boys had seated themselves while he was watching Kaia's little pen affair. Whenever someone looked in Kaia's direction it was over her head to talk to someone else before the teacher came back with their morning quizzes. It was as if Kaia didn't exist. Which, to most people, she didn't. Ed felt sympathy towards the girl. It probably wasn't all that fun to be thin air to most everyone. It would drive a normal person insane. Who knows? Maybe Kaia was a bit insane from all this solitude. The teacher bustled through the door with quizzes in hand. Ed checked the file to see that she was called Mrs. Thompson and she taught AP English.

"Kaia, please pass these out while I collect homework," Mrs. Thompson said sweetly. Kaia mumbled something while standing. Ed noticed that while one would think she would walk without showing her face, she walked straight and tall with abnormally good posture. Ed also noted that she had a worksheet of what was probably homework perfectly centered and lined up with the edge of her desk. No one else had theirs out yet. Kaia took the quizzes from Mrs. Thompson and started passing them out. Ed also noticed she lined them up perfectly in the upper left hand corner in every desk, so they were flush with the square edges. One person, just to make fun of her, tweaked it as soon as Kaia put it down. She instinctively reached out to fix it, but pulled her hand back and moved on. Ed checked her medical report. In the personal comments section the doctor had written,

'This is probably one of the most severe cases of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) I have ever seen. Kaia has the unnerving habit of straightening everything in sight. In one of our tests we had her sit in a room by herself with a crooked picture frame on the opposite wall. We told her to resist the impulse to straighten it for as long as possible. I am amazed she lasted as long as she did. Kaia sat tapping her feet and staring obstinately up at the crooked frame for almost two minutes. By that time she was shaking and grinding her teeth. Right before the two-minute mark she jumped up and straightened the picture frame. I may add that she did this with a carpenter's leveling tool which she took from her backpack. I am seriously worried if she cares enough about straight picture frames to carry that sort of tool around. If any obsession gets worse please contact us.'

Sheesh. Even the doctors knew she was abnormal. It was on the record that the foster parents decided not to get her medication for her disorders. Also noted was the fact that it was getting consistently worse, but they had not yet contacted the doctor and more than likely did not plan to. That was just sad. Kaia finished passing out the quizzes and returned to her seat. All of the homework had been picked up, so she centered the quiz in the exact middle of the desk and started. She was the first finished, and, after the test's completion, she returned the pen to its previous position, aligned the quiz in the upper left hand corner of her desk, and got out another piece of paper and a pencil. Kaia bent down over the paper and her hair swung around her, making an immediate curtain. Ed shifted to the skylight window so he could see what she was doing. She was drawing.

'_Uh oh. That can't be good,'_ Ed thought when he saw what it was. The picture was amazingly detailed and had talent that was usually only achieved by years and years and _years_ of practice and only by naturally talented people. He checked the file again. Nope, she was only fifteen years old, well, not technically. She was still fourteen, but her birthday was the next day. So much younger than her twelfth grade peers. According to the file she had skipped a couple grades. How traumatic it would be, to be dragged to another dimension on your birthday, but that wasn't the point of his thoughts. It was that, despite her age, she was apparently good at art. She could have won a couple of awards already, if she bothered to submit, but that wasn't what worried him. It was the subject matter of the picture. It was unmistakable. It was an incredibly detailed drawing of the Gate. Next to it was some scratchy writing that Ed couldn't read from that distance and in about the middle of that writing was another, smaller, sketch. This one worried him even more. It seemed to be a faceless version of... himself. Or at least someone who was identical to him. There was no mistake. He had to get that paper so he could read the writing. Despite the file information Ed had almost no idea what he was up against. The file didn't specify her being a fortune-teller. Geez. This was going to be difficult. Kaia tucked her pencil back into the second slot from the left in her backpack and sat up straighter. Ed could practically see her counting. In fact, he could. Kaia was counting backwards with her fingers underneath her desk. Three... Ugh! She made her three with her index, middle finger, and thumb! That was just weird. Two... index finger and thumb. One...thumb. Zero! That one was normal!

"Quizzes in!" Mrs. Thompson called from the lectern up front. Kaia stood and brought her quiz up to the basket on a table in the front. She centered it exactly and went and sat back down again. She clenched her teeth. Someone had moved her pen again! The red one wasn't perpendicular to the desk! But she wasn't about to let whoever did it have the satisfaction of seeing her fix it. Oh no, that wouldn't happen. She watched the pen as if silently willing it to move by telekinesis, but it didn't. As everyone else went up to put their quizzes in the basket, Kaia glanced around slyly to make sure no one was watching. She bent down and fixed her pen. While doing this she gave Ed a perfect opportunity to steal the paper. He silently dropped a retractable clawed rod (Yes he carries these sorts of things. It was Mustang's paranoia actually being helpful.) down from the skylight and was about to snatch the paper when Kaia, apparently still too deep in thought to notice the slim silver rod, snatched the paper up and tucked it into her backpack. Ed stared at her incredulously and almost dropped from the open skylight.

"Damn it." He had come so close. Kaia snapped up to attention and he barely had enough time to get out of sight. Once everyone else put their quizzes in the basket Mrs. Thompson passed out numerous previously done assignments that they spent the rest of the period grading. Ed noticed that by the end of the period Kaia had put away her black pen, and Ed could tell that she was ready to slide the red pen into its previously assigned spot the moment the bell rang. The bell sounded and she flicked the pen into its place. Mrs. Thompson, her usual scatterbrained self, started panicking to collect the graded assignments. She had the last person in each row collect everything to bring up front. No one could leave until they did. Kaia straightened her papers again and Ed could see her tensing. This would be the first example of contact with her peers. A rather sporty looking guy was slowly loping up the aisle with a long pair of legs. He had flaming red hair and a mass of freckles across his cheeks and nose. As he came up to Kaia he tweaked her papers askew. Her only reaction was the very slight tightening of her neck, but the guy noticed.

"Awwwwww… Did I mess it up? Is this not to your… _satisfaction?_" Kaia's hands tightened on the strap of her bag. The boy laughed and snatched up her papers to massive amusement of the class. Mrs. Thompson didn't notice. She was too busy with the other papers. The class thought that Kaia's tension was due to her embarrassment, but Ed knew better. He could see her muscles flexing and her teeth grinding. She had been trying as hard as she could to restrain herself from attacking and seriously injuring the impudent brat. Mrs. Thompson dismissed them and Kaia bolted for the door.

She rushed out and toward her next class. Ed jumped back beneath the stairs and consulted the file while trailing a bit behind her disguised by a large clump of students. Before he was able to check, Kaia turned into another classroom. A quick peek through a secluded window revealed Kaia to once again be front and center. He found a good vantage point and re-opened the file. This was an AP US Government class taught by a woman called Mrs. Clarabaugh. This class went basically the same as the first. Pens were perfectly aligned, the teacher seemed to adore her, she cringed at any contact with her peers, and she added to her drawing of the Gate. Hunched over to one side of the Gate was Truth. He wore a small smile. Smaller words were squished by him. Ed _had_ to get that paper to read what it said.

Kaia's day continued in much the same fashion. Her classes were Health and Economics, Calculus, Physics, and Latin Five. She drew more with each class. Characters covered the page. All seven homunculi were drawn with Dante in the lead. There was extraordinary detail on Envy and… Ed caught his breath. There was Sloth, but she didn't look like Sloth. She was wearing a light purple dress and apron and she was smiling warmly. That was strange. Hoenheim appeared in the shadows. Al, Winry, and Pinako stood in front of his old house, the way it looked before they burnt it down. It was also shown after the third of October in year eleven. The drawing of Ed became more detailed. Eyes and a body appeared. Other familiar faces appeared. Mustang, Armstrong, Havoc, Hawkeye, Breda, and everyone else from the office joined the group. Color bloomed on the page, and by the time the bell rang dismissing the sixth period class the page was a tumult of vivid people and places belonging to another dimension. How did she know all this anyway? Any space not taken up by the drawings was filled with tiny chicken-scratch writing.

"I thought girls were supposed to have nice handwriting." Ed scratched his head.

"What was that Fullmetal?" Mustang's tinny voice came through the earpiece.

"Nothing." Ed watched Kaia slip the page into her backpack. She rushed out of the classroom. Ed slipped off the roof he had been crouching on and darted between shadows, just managing to keep her in sight.

"This stealth crap really isn't my style you know," Ed complained vaguely.

"Hang in there for a bit longer brother," Al's voice piped up. Ed smirked. Apparently Mustang had grown tired of listening to him.

"Tch." Ed rounded a corner and shrugged his coat back into place. When he caught up again he saw that Kaia had already grabbed a few textbooks from her locker and was almost to the exit. She skirted a group standing in the middle and had reached the door.

"Damn it." Ed dashed back the way he came and around to the front, scattering several groups of students in the process. He nearly tripped over himself as he skidded to a halt and crouched down in some conveniently placed bushes. A couple of branches broke and he winced. The hydrangeas and there caregivers wouldn't be too pleased come tomorrow. There was, however, a real threat within those snapped limbs. Kaia was standing not even six feet away and she was staring pointedly at him.

Ed froze, holding his breath. She shifted her bag slightly to allow more freedom to her arm. She advanced. Her feet fell lightly on the pavement and her body tensed, leaving her with a low center of gravity. She would be very difficult to knock over. She was ready for an attack. Fortunately, she didn't get the chance. A pack of students slowly made their way through the gap spanning between Ed and Kaia. Ed darted between their legs and escaped, barely. He was safe for the moment.

Or so he thought.

Unknown to the young alchemist, Kaia had caught the slightest glimpse of him, but it was enough for her with her photographic memory. This confirmed that the strange flood of images that had come over her this morning was somehow linked to that boy. He was obviously hidden in a small patch of flowers. The very top of his blond hair stuck out over the tops of the flowers. Kaia sighed and ignored his presence. This wasn't the place to confront him. She turned off in her normal way, her feet carrying her in a well known course. There was no need to think where she was going.

'_I've heard of some pretty bad stalkers, but this is crossing the line. I spotted him in every class period today and was even able to pick out some of his communications. There were some strange phrases. They were talking about alchemy as if it were a pretty normal occurrence. And then there was 'the gate.' Perhaps this is the name they have for that door I saw. If so I at least know that they aren't very creative with their titles.'_ Storing these tidbits away to be mulled over later, Kaia concentrated on finding her new friend. It wasn't difficult. He was struggling to keep up as he fought his way through vegetation on the side opposite the fence she was walking along. She couldn't see his face, but the clothes were clear enough. This was most definitely the guy breaking into her mind and flooding her with all the images.

'_Let's see what else he can do.'_

Ed slipped into some flowers after detaching himself from the throng. He had to lay flat on his stomach in order to remain unseen. Quite a few flowers met their doom that day. Kaia seemed to be a bit detached, obviously thinking hard. He waited.

"Hey, Mustang." Ed spoke in a low tone, checking the mike to see that it had remained as it was supposed to.

"What is it brother?" Came the reply.

"Just following orders. Mustang said to report everything. School just ended, but there's a bit of a discrepancy with the file. It says that she leaves immediately. She's not leaving. Actually, she's just been standing there for about five minutes now." Ed kept his eyes on Kaia as she continued to stare into space.

"Huh. Well, nothing we can do but wait it out and see what happens next. Have you stayed out of sight?" Mustang was back on the line. Apparently this was interesting enough for him.

"Yeah. Do you think that I'm stupid enough to be seen?" Ed replied sharply.

"No. I'm merely taking your comment from earlier into account. After all, stealth really 'isn't your style.'" Mustang smirked as he tapped on the mike, causing an annoying echo on Ed's end.

"Psh. You know I really—Wait, she's moving." Ed slipped quietly into an obviously man-made nature walk on the opposite side of a fence from Kaia. Or, he thought he slipped quietly. In reality he stumbled in, got his jacket caught on a tree, and tore almost the entire bottom half off.

"Damn it."

"Try to keep it down Fullmetal. You do know that the object is to not be seen, don't you?" Ed could practically see the Colonel's smug expression. He chose not to respond. It was difficult enough to keep up with the girl without the distractions.

"Could she walk any faster?" Ed stumbled over a stray branch and fell face first into some moss. This continued for about fifteen minutes. Ed was really regretting his chosen path. He was panting and covered in scratches. His clothing had suffered too. He was taking a short break to catch his breath and looked over to Kaia. She was gone.

"Damn it! Where'd she go?" Ed was practically foaming at the mouth. This girl was really starting to get on his bad side. He looked around frantically, but his panic was short-lived. She was crossing the street right beside him, heading towards what appeared to be a no-build zone covered in trees. Unfortunately there was no cover to cross the street, so he was forced to wait for her to disappear and hope that he would be able to find her again.

He was finally able to move and dashed across the street after hopping the fence. Out of the corner of his eye he saw several people giving him strange looks. He couldn't really blame them. His clothes were all ripped up, his auto-mail was visible through the gaps, and he had twigs and leaves stuck in his hair. He ducked into the trees and resumed his search. It wasn't difficult. Kaia had started singing some unfamiliar song in a different language that Ed didn't recognize. He let out a sigh of relief. Mustang would have given him a major lecture if he lost her now. He obviously didn't know that Kaia had made it so he could find her. She was waiting for the right place to confront her new friend. He had to be taught not to screw around with her head.

They continued through the trees with Ed thinking he was staying out of sight and Kaia taking a winding route as to thoroughly confuse him. She couldn't have him escaping on her. Her plan was working and Ed had lost track of where they were going. He hoped she knew where to go because otherwise he would just have to wander until he found an exit.

She stopped suddenly. Ed nearly tripped over a tree root, but corrected himself. Kaia started walking towards him and he panicked. There was nowhere he could go without her noticing, so he settled for scuttling up into the leaves of the nearest tree. She dropped her bag not two feet from where he had been moments before. Ed pulled himself further out onto a branch. Kaia turned and strode back into a small clearing that Ed had failed to notice they had almost entered. If she hadn't stopped, Ed would've strolled right after her and been left without cover.

'_I've gotten sloppy. Oh well, this will all be over by tomorrow.'_ He shifted his weight on the branch. Down below Kaia had tied her hair into a ponytail and had moved into the center of the gap. She inhaled audibly and settled into an unfamiliar stance. Ed identified the goals as a low center of gravity, good balance, and easy maneuverability. She performed a series of quick punches and a swipe with her leg which could easily knock someone's head off their shoulders. She had perfect form, just like he had seen in the picture. She moved lightly on the pads of her feet, exercising a series of dodges. She exhaled and returned to her original stance. She brought her hands to her chest and closed her eyes.

A few moments passed and Ed counted his breaths. Then Kaia attacked. Her eyes flashed open as she started a mock battle. She attacked and defended as though she were facing a real opponent. Some of her moves were expected, but most were of a style Ed had never seen before. He checked the file. It didn't have any information on who had taught her. Could she have made it up on her own? That couldn't be. It looked too refined. Her span widened to include multiple enemies. Ed continued watching, transfixed by the fluid movements. Her hair rippled in the sun. What time was it anyhow? According to the information they had gathered, students at her school were guaranteed at least two hours of homework per night. He had no idea if his watch was set to the time here, or if this dimension even used the same time system as Amestris. Ed heard her exhale. She returned to the beginning stance once more, and relaxed. Her posture returned to normal. Normal for her at least. She held herself high and lifted her shoulders. Ed wasn't sure how she kept it that way all the time.

"Now," Kaia said without turning around. "I hope you liked my demonstration. Get out of the tree. I have no intention of putting off our meeting any longer. Tell me why you have invaded my mind, and about these images I see. I'm waiting."

Ed froze. No way. There had been no sign that she had detected him. There was no way she could have seen him. He decided to act as though he wasn't there.

"I'm getting impatient." She didn't face him. "You have three seconds before I force you down." Ed continued to act like air.

"Three… Two… One… Zero."

Instantly there were three weighted knives in her hand. How did she even have those? She was a poor orphan brat. As quickly as they had come they disappeared from her hand. One appeared above Ed's head and one to either side. The effort of dodging all three made Ed loose his balance and topple to the ground.

Kaia turned to look directly at him as he lay in a heap at her feet.

"Hello," she said simply.

**Things are finally speeding up. To those reading this thanks for hanging in. Ed's looking like a real mess now. Sucks to be him.**

**Ed: It's not my fault…**

**I know it's not.**

**Mustang: Whose fault is it if it's not because of the pipsqueak?**

**Ed: DON'T CALL ME SMALL!**

**Kaia: Guilty.**

**She's just too smart for him and 'stealth's not really his style.'**

**Ed: Leave me alone…**

**Al: Review so the authoress has something to do other than torment Ed.**


	3. Arrangements

**You know the drill. I don't own FMA. I do own Kaia and that annoying red-headed kid from earlier. And I own the Academy. And Kaia's awesome skills. But that's it. On a side note, I'm not sure if my rant from the first chapter actually made any sense regarding the time frame. Pretty much I'm taking the original story and using all that information as a jumping board. Hughes, Envy, and Hoenheim are all still with us. The homunculi are missing Greed (unfortunately) and Wrath (cuz I hate him). This is all going to be original plot, so if you're trying to match this story with the original then you should really stop or you'll get really confused here in a second. One more thing. I have based this on the original anime, not Brotherhood. I have, sadly, not been able to read the manga because my library doesn't have volume one and I can't read it online. Anyhow, I'm starting to ramble so I'll shut up and get to it now.**

**Chapter 3: Arrangements**

There was no way that could have just happened. Ed lifted his head to stare into her face. It was without expression. Kaia turned and squatted down next to him.

"Now, what is your name?" There was no emotion in her voice, just a gentle curiosity. Ed got on his hands and knees. He was running out of options more quickly than new ones presented themselves. He was unarmed, on the ground, couldn't use alchemy, and clearly outmatched in hand-to-hand combat skills. Her gaze was boring a hole in the back of his head. Ed could see no desirable course of action, so he decided to be unpredictable. He lunged.

The sudden movement startled Kaia, but that was probably even worse for Ed. When startled she goes into automatic combat mode. She rose and side-stepped in one fluid movement, tripping Ed and sending him sprawling once again. He scrambled to his feet to continue his useless attacks. She dodged every one, but didn't counter.

"If you don't stop this I'll have to restrain you," she warned as Ed used a particularly reckless kick. She sighed as she grabbed his leg and used his momentum to throw him. Ed skidded to a stop on the balls of his feet and charged again. He swiped with his left hand, but she grabbed it, twisting it uncomfortably behind his back as she reached for his right. He heard a small gasp. She had made contact with his auto-mail. She released his left hand.

"Wow! This is absolutely incredible! What kind of suspension does it have? Who designed it? Is it pneumatic or hydraulic? I saw the metal through the rips in your clothes but I never thought you would have a prosthetic limb!" She had gone all starry-eyed and his glove was suddenly nowhere to be found.

"Hands off." She practically deflated. There was most definitely nothing in the file saying that she was such a gear-junkie.

"Give me one good reason not to kill you here and now," Ed bluffed.

"One, I'm a better fighter than you anyhow. You couldn't kill me. Before you interrupt, two, you still can't kill me because you don't have your alchemy." She ignored Ed's amazed look and continued. "Three, I know that you're in communication with someone at an HQ somewhere. If you went through the trouble of establishing something like that I can't be trivial enough to kill. Four, I have you pinned."

He couldn't argue with her logic. Wait, pinned? It was then that he noticed he couldn't move. Four tiny knives had pierced his boots, two per leg. He had no clue how she got them there or why they were so strong, but it posed a huge problem.

"Let me see this earpiece." Kaia plucked the cylinder from his ear and inserted it into her own. She unclipped the mike from his clothes and reattached it on her own.

"Fullmetal, answer me! Fullmetal! What's going on?" The voice rang through the transceiver along with quite a bit of static.

"Geesh, calm down. You're going to blow the speaker. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?" Kaia twirled her hair around her finger. Ed couldn't help but watch. It was obviously well practiced.

"Colonel Roy Mustang. What have you done with Fullmetal? Where is he?" Mustang sounded genuinely concerned, in a fear-invoking, irritated way.

"He's standing right in front of me. Don't worry, he hasn't come to harm. He's not going anywhere fast though." Kaia bound his hands as she spoke. She used some cord pulled from her backpack. How did all this crap fit in there anyhow? And why did she bother to carry it around?

"Fine. You have control. Exactly what is it that you want?" Ed would have been surprised to hear Mustang admit defeat so quickly.

"I want to know exactly what's going on. What are these images that I saw, who you represent, and most of all why you sent this kid after me." Kaia swung up to the branch that Ed had previously occupied. She wrenched her knives out of the bark and dropped to the ground.

"We'll have plenty of time to talk later. Put Fullmetal on the line."

"It isn't typically the role of the defeated to give commands, but I'm interested to see where this will end. I will put him on." She reequipped Ed with the communication devices.

"What did you do, Fullmetal?" Mustang practically screamed.

"Listen! I thought I was doing fine and she attacked me out of nowhere!" Ed felt himself becoming angrier. Kaia raised an eyebrow.

"You thought you were doing fine? You break into my mind, stare obviously through windows, and hide in bushes and you thought you were doing _fine_?" Kaia circled him. Ed's face turned slightly red.

"Stealth isn't really my style." He turned his head away.

"Obviously." Kaia leaned in so the microphone could pick her up. "Was there anything else you wanted to discuss with him? Otherwise I would like to speak again."

"He's not good for anything else," Mustang said irritably.

"No, there's not," Ed relayed. Kaia took back the devices.

"As I see it you have no choice but to answer my questions. I have a hostage and you don't know where we are. If any attempt is made to triangulate our location from the broadcast then I will destroy it and your man. Are you ready to cooperate?" Kaia's hands drummed on her legs.

"No."

"I was hoping I could bluff it. Oh well. It's just loosing an advantage I didn't expect to have in the first place. No, I won't hurt him. Would you be so kind as to tell me why you've made contact?" Mustang sighed and a whoosh of static buzzed in her ear.

"This is going to be a bit hard to believe."

"Try me." Mustang sighed again and started.

"We come from a land unlike any you may know. Are you familiar with the idea of alternate dimensions?"

"Yeah." Kaia's expression didn't change. It looked as if she were accepting everything Mustang said. She was a strange girl.

"It's true, in a sense. We come from an 'alternate dimension' in which our homeland is called Amestris. We both work for the military there. One of our superiors found you somehow and decided it would be worth bringing you back here for study."

"He works in the military? He's just a kid." Of all the things to bring up she chose that. She didn't question the fact that there were worlds other than her own, or that a military from one of those unknown worlds wanted something from her.

"You mean you believe all that I told you just now?" Mustang sounded just as surprised as Ed felt.

"Yeah, why not? It lines up with all the things I've seen today. I have no other reasonable explanation, and yours seems awfully simple for a lie. When people lie they usually make up a whole bunch of useless details because they're nervous. I'll accept your answer." She said all this as if it were a matter of little importance.

"Will you agree to come to our headquarters?" Mustang was also treating the entire situation as ordinary.

"Yes. Is tomorrow morning suitable? I have a couple of things to tie up." Kaia turned her back to Ed, concealing her expression.

"Come tomorrow. Fullmetal will bring you. Be warned, his methods may seem…unconventional, but please accept them. As he is your guide you will need to arrange to meet him," Mustang started.

"Way ahead of you. I'm not letting him out of my sight. This could be a great opportunity. I'm not letting it get away." Kaia removed the rope from his hands as she spoke. Ed rubbed his wrists.

"We have a deal."

"Sounds like a plan, Stan." Kaia removed the knives from Ed's boots.

"I look forward to meeting you," Mustang said. The line went dead. Melodramatic as always. Kaia finished and stuffed the knives back in her bag.

"Well, looks like you're stuck with me for now. Come on." She threw her bag over her shoulder and strode off. Ed sighed and went after her, having to hurry to keep with her brisk steps.

"How am I supposed to know you aren't leading me into a trap?" He stumbled over a tree root.

"I suppose you'll just have to trust me. Besides, do I look like the kind of person who could lay a trap to capture someone like you?"

"No, but you don't look like the kind of person who would carry knives in her backpack either. Where did you get those things anyway?"

"I take the weapons carried by anyone I defeat. I've actually got quite the store now. You'd be surprised how many thugs there are in the worse off parts of town." She tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"Why have you been in those parts of the city?" Every word the girl said was making him more curious.

"That's where I live. You'll see it for yourself soon enough." They continued walking through the business section of town. Soon they had reached the homes of the rich.

"It really disgusts me how some people live like this while others are forced to sleep on the streets. And really what difference is there between them? It's just some official green papers and numbers in a bank. Money is worthless. Our world would be better without it." She scowled. "But what would I know? After all, I've never been in a world without an established money system." She looked over at him and smiled.

"Yeah," he said softly. _'This girl must be bipolar or something. One moment she's criticizing the state of the world and the next she's grinning her face off. Who knows, maybe she'll attack me again.'_ Then he noticed she was watching him.

"You're very strange you know," she said. "You seem to stare into space a lot. Are you worried about something?"

"No." It was a lie. Ed had been worried about leaving Al alone with Mustang and Tucker, especially since Mustang probably wasn't in a very good mood anymore. She just watched him, but looked away.

"I know you're lying, but that's your own business." Ed stopped, looked at her, and closed his eyes. He continued walking. He looked at his feet, up at the sky, at the buildings, anywhere other than those eyes that seemed so out of place.

They passed into the area of middle-class houses, and then into what Kaia had earlier described as 'the worse off parts of town.' People watched from every corner, many of them fingering weapons of some sort. A couple of shady bars blared music from open windows. A group of drunks stumbled out from one of them. They whistled and catcalled.

"Hey pretty lady! Wanna come have some fun with us?" one shouted. Kaia disregarded his comment.

"They might come back later, but there are too many witnesses here. I can't do anything for now." Kaia held her head high and turned into a darker, more secluded alley. They continued through a multitude of dark passages until Ed was thoroughly lost.

"What exactly are you trying to accomplish here?" Ed panted.

"I'm trying to avoid a conflict. If they can't find me they can't fight me," she said simply.

"Why don't you want to fight them?" he asked. Kaia stopped suddenly. She glared at him.

"I have no intention of revealing my live combat techniques to _you_." She turned away and kept walking.

'_Sheesh. Here I am thinking that she's starting to warm up to me. Guess not. It's better off anyways. She's as annoying as hell. Who does she think she is anyway? She calls me a kid even though I'm older and threatens me with all of her stupid tricks. She doesn't have the guts to do anything.'_ And with his self-inflicted negative attitude, Ed walked on. He glanced at the back of Kaia's head. She seemed even more rigid than normal.

"Not that I really care, but shouldn't you be looking out for those creeps from earlier?" He quickened his pace to draw level with her.

"What do you mean?" she asked, not even turning to him. She was infuriating.

"What do you mean? What do you think I mean? Those guys obviously wanted… something from you. Don't you think you should keep watch in case they actually find us?" Ed fumed.

"I know what you meant in that sense. I was asking regarding the fact that you think I'm not watching. I don't have to watch with my eyes. I could hear them coming, smell the stench of alcohol on their breath and clothes, but most of all I could feel their presence." She still didn't look at him.

"What do you mean by 'feeling their presence.' I don't go for all that mystical crap."

"You know the feeling you get when someone's watching you, right? How you feel all tingly and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up? It's sort of like that. I'm just a lot more sensitive to other people." She finally turned to look at him. Her eyes caught his and she looked deeply for a moment, but broke away, running down the path.

"Hey! Wait!" Ed booked it down the alley, trying to keep her in sight. He was about to pass an intersection when a giant hand reached out from the shadows and twisted his left arm. He yelped. Moments later Kaia appeared. The men jeered at her.

"Look! The pretty lady came to help the kid!"

"I wonder if she'll come with us if we make her a trade."

"Settle down boys, I think you're scaring the little girl."

The little girl comment seemed to have and impact on her. She snapped.

"Guess I have no choice now." Kaia dropped her bag and grabbed the nearest man. She flung him over her shoulder and bashed his head into the wall. Probably a small concussion, but definitely non-lethal. She took on the one holding Ed next. A couple of quick blows to some nerve endings in his neck and shoulders had him quivering at her feet. After being released Ed scooted up to a wall to stay out of the way. Kaia made quick work of the seven or so other members of the gang with jabs, punches, kicks, and throws. She used some moves usually shunned by respected martial artists. Two guys had been finished by having their heads clapped together like in the cartoons. She had taken one of their motorcycles and used it to knock quite a few of the men off their feet. In any case, they wouldn't be getting up very soon.

Kaia brushed off her hands and picked up her bag. She looked over at Ed.

"Come on," she said, staring him down. He rose from the ground to join her.

Their trek continued through a few more twists and turns until they were let out onto a dimly lit street. The sun had long since set and all sorts of characters had sprawled themselves on porches and streets, but they all seemed to shrink in Kaia's presence.

"Why are they all so afraid of you?" Ed whispered.

"Why do you think? I made an example of one of them." She said it so casually that you might think it was perfectly normal for fourteen year old girls to go beating up weathered thugs. They turned one more corner and Kaia looked up at a run down house with chipped pink paint.

"We're going in through the window," she said as she began to scale a tree. "Try to be quiet."

They reached the top and Kaia tapped a quick rhythm on the boarded up window. There was a brief pause and someone on the inside tapped back. Kaia tapped once more and the boards were slid out from the inside. A small girl, maybe six or seven, stood in the gap.

"Kaia!" she said, reaching her arms out. "Who's that?" She pointed at Ed.

"It's just one of my friends from school. He's going to stay the night with us." Kaia climbed through the gap and beckoned for Ed to follow. He did, getting his foot caught on the frame and doing a face plant. Kaia didn't bother to catch him. They crept down a hallway and into a dark room. The little girl entered and fumbled around on a desk. She hit the switch for a lamp and dim light filled the room. Kaia entered. Ed followed.

The room wouldn't be described as comfortable. There was a bed that looked just about fifty years old and a table made of a cardboard refrigerator box reinforced with duct tape. A small nest of cushions lay in the corner with a blanket strewn on top. The lamp and various elementary school art projects were strewn on the table. Kaia dropped her bag on the bed and turned to the little girl, bending down slightly.

"Lucy, go get us something to eat for dinner, okay? Make sure to get some for Ed too." She straightened, turning back to him. She glared as though challenging him to say something. He kept his mouth shut. His gaze faltered and she turned away. She grabbed her bag and sat down on the floor, pulling out books and binders. By the time Lucy came back with food the area immediately surrounding Kaia was a jumble of papers and reference materials. Lucy passed out PB&J sandwiches, chips, and juice. Kaia nibbled on her food as she worked. Ed nearly inhaled his food, but a flash of color in the papers caught his eye. He paused in his vicious consumption to investigate. It was a very familiar drawing. He eyed Kaia to see that she was completely absorbed in a textbook. He slipped the paper out and began to read.

His eyes first alighted on Truth. He read the words surrounding.

_I am the world. I am the universe. I am God._

_ I am Truth. I am all. I am one. But I am also_

_ You._

Those were the words Truth spoke to him on the day he opened the Gate. His eyes darted around the page, finding familiar phrases surrounding each picture. He started to read the one set around the Gate.

_Pale white and black with false citrine._

_ Imperfect white and red._

_ The peacocks feather in bright colors,_

_ The rainbow in the sky above._

_ The spotted panther, the green lion,_

_ The crow's beak blue as lead._

_ These shall appear before you in perfect white._

Those were the words he and Al had written on their transmutation circle when they tried to bring their mother back.

"You could have asked you know." Kaia's voice startled him. "I would have let you see it."

Time must have slipped away from him as he studied the drawing. Kaia had apparently finished her homework because all of her stuff had been packed up again.

"How do you know about all this?" Ed asked, gesturing towards the page. Kaia looked at him for a second, as if debating whether to answer.

"I would guess that these are snippets of your memories. After all, you were the one who broke into my head." She said it in such a simple manner. Ed couldn't help but think it was true. After all, what other explanation did he have?

"You can try sleeping on the bed if you want, but you'll be better off on the floor. It's a lot more comfortable." Kaia grabbed a blanket and pillow from stacks in the corner and laid them out on the floor. Ed followed suit. Kaia got up and put her hand on the switch to turn out the lights. She stared at Ed for a long moment and then took out the light. She huddled under the blanket with her back towards him as her breathing slowed. Her hair, now strewn about her shoulders, glinted a silvery-white in the moonlight. Ed cast a glance up at a timepiece above him. It was almost midnight. He spared one more look to Kaia and shut his eyes. The musty smell of the thin carpet beneath him fuddled his brain. Darkness enveloped him.

**Well isn't this fun.**

**Ed and Kaia: *glare***

**Oh stop, you're just mad because I made you sleep in the same room. It's not like anything's going to happen. There's a seven year old there for goodness sakes!**

**Al: I think you should really change topics now.**

**Yeah… Anywho…Next chapter we finally get some more characters in here.**

**Mustang: And I make a couple grand appearances.**

**Random Mustang Fangirl: Any scene with you in it will be grand, Mustang!**

**Mustang: Yes, I know.**

**How did she get in here anyway? Oh well, fangirls are everywhere. I'm going to get rid of her now. *pulls out chainsaw***

**Tucker: Review.**

**Kaia: That was honestly kind of creepy and demonic. Perhaps we should let Al say it. What's wrong with his body? He's all furry and backwards.**

**Ed: I'll explain it later.**

**Al: Review! The authoress requires sustenance!**


	4. Arrival

**Wow I posted the last chapter at one in the morning on Friday and wake up at eight thirty to three more reviews. That's pretty incredible. Now to responses to my precious kittens**

**Kaia: Just so you all know, the authoress has officially dubbed reviewers as the 'precious kittens.'**

**~The Precious Kittens~**

**Watergoddesskasey: Thanks a bunch! The shiny review button thanks you for the attention.**

**Jigoku Hana Tenshi: I wasn't really intending her to be that way personality-wise, but she wanted it. I merely write the story, the characters do this. Perhaps she'll change a bit. I don't really know. Though I'm not really sure I'm understanding which person has unexpected qualities. Care to fill me in?**

**Kitten of Fire: I really hope this gets off the ground. Most of my fanfictions never make it onto paper. Because of this they have time to stew in my head and accumulate lots of useless details. When I finally put them on paper it's hard to brush off all the useless junk, so it gets kind of slow. Things aren't really going as I had planned, though, so I may end up having to take a bit of a new approach on things.**

**If you would like to be included in the sacred guild of the Precious Kittens you can follow the will of the shiny review button. It beckons you.**

**I have now decided that this note is over.**

**Al: I hope you enjoy the story!**

**You ruined my dramatic moment, Al!**

**Al: Sorry…**

**Chapter 4: Arrival**

Ed felt the lightest touch on his skin and his eyes flicked open. Kaia was leaning over him, one arm outstretched and a hand on his shoulder. He glanced up at the clock.

"It's five thirty in the morning. It's not like we'll be stuck here if we don't get there by noon. Do you get up this early normally?" he grumbled, rubbing his eyes. Kaia was already dressed and ready. She wore a white sundress with blue flowers imprinted on it. It looked like the kind of thing a child more Lucy's age would wear. Then Ed noticed the overstuffed bag sitting on the bed. The open top revealed it to contain all sorts of weapons. He decided not to comment on the dress.

"No. I usually get up at three o'clock, but I don't need to go to school today. There's no use in going if I'll be with your military by sunset. And even if our way back isn't going to leave we need to get going. The foster parents get up at six and I have no desire to be around when they come to check our rooms." She took his blanket and folded it.

"Where did all that crap come from?" he asked, gesturing towards the bag.

"Were you really not listening yesterday? These are all the things I've gotten from people who got in my way. I've been gathering them while you were asleep. I've just got one more thing to grab and then we need to be leaving." She wedged her fingers in between two boards in the wall and pried a section out. She reached into a small gap, being careful not to touch the sparse bits of insulation. She withdrew a sword. After returning the board to its original place she put the sword on the bed. She noticed Ed watching.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked innocently.

"No. I just figured that yesterday when you said that you take weapons from the people you beat you meant a few knives and maybe a gun, not all that. What are you planning on doing with all that anyway?" He threw the pillow from where he had gotten it the night previous.

"I can't just leave it here for Lucy to find. I'm going to take some of my favorites and leave the rest with a friend. Your hair's a mess, by the way." Kaia straightened her clothes. Ed's face reddened and he undid his braid.

"What friend is this? We don't have any information on a friend." Ed combed his fingers through his hair. He braided it quickly.

"So this _is_ the only information you have on me?" She waved Ed's folder around.

"What? When—" Ed frantically searched his jacket. "How did you get that?" He demanded.

"You're a very heavy sleeper." She handed the file back.

"Why are you giving it back?" Ed tucked it back in his jacket.

"I've read it and found nothing worth while." She grabbed her bag. "Time to go."

They crept out into the hall and down to the room they had first entered through. She wrenched the boards from the window and they jumped into the tree, replacing the boards on their way out. They slid down the tree and started to walk. Ed let Kaia lead, having absolutely no idea where to go. She kept her quick pace, not looking back.

"This is probably the last time you'll see that place in quite a while." He looked at her.

"Good riddance." She kept her eyes ahead.

"Won't you miss it, even a little?" Ed prodded.

"No," she said bluntly.

"What about Lucy?" This seemed to have some effect. She faltered, her pace slowing.

"She'll survive." She picked up again, her mind made up.

"Don't you feel bad leaving her behind though?" Kaia stopped to look at him.

"Isn't your job to try to convince me to come along?" she snapped. Ed shrugged. They kept walking in silence.

"What kind of person is this friend of yours?" Ed finally asked.

"I suppose you wouldn't really call him a friend. It's a guy that decided he would try to steal my knives. I broke his arms and gave him a nasty cut on his face. I made it out that I would kill him if he didn't stay under my command. He believes that I would do it, too. He works as a blacksmith in one of the darker corners. Makes knives and lots of guns." She said all of it in a straight tone. Nope, nothing out of the ordinary here. Ed just stared.

"Oh," he said simply.

They came upon the shop soon enough. It smelled of metal and sweat.

"Play along," Kaia murmured as she kicked through the door. The assortment of men inside went silent. They cowered as Kaia strolled in.

"So where's that worthless thug today?" She scanned the room. There was a man hunched over the forge, obviously working. She grinned maniacally and walked over. She tapped him on the back. He turned around, looking ready to tear her to pieces, but he froze when he saw her. There was a huge scar stretching from his right ear, across his eyes, and to his jaw. This must have been where Kaia had cut him.

"Hey, Tommy. I've got a job for you." She dropped the bag to the floor and let the sword clatter down.

"Yes, absolutely anything." The giant man kept his head down, staring intensely at the ground.

"Keep these things safe," she said, gesturing to the weapons. "Keep the head of anyone that tries to touch them. Sharpen them if you want, but they're still in pretty good condition from the last time." She continued to make jibes. A couple of men crept up to Ed who was hovering by the door.

"Are you with Kaia?" one of them whispered.

"Yeah, why?" Ed asked.

"You should get out of here while you can. Have you heard what she did to Big Tom over there?" they gestured towards the blacksmith.

"Yeah, she told me." Ed was wondering if they had a point to this when they spoke again.

"Are you crazy? Don't be so careless! If she was able to do that to Big Tom then a pipsqueak like you isn't going to stand a chance!"

"DON'T CALL ME SMALL!" Ed exploded, hurling the two surprised men away. Kaia looked up.

"Bye for now, Tommy!" she said cheerfully, skipping over to Ed. "Don't go causing a stir, Ed!" she said as she dragged him out. She waved over her shoulder at the shop, and all the men waved back nervously. When she was out of sight they all sighed in relief. They had been spared.

Ed and Kaia walked through the streets, but Kaia stopped. Ed looked up to see her staring.

"Where to now?" she asked. "That Mustang guy said that you would be taking me." Ed paused. He didn't really know where he was supposed to go.

"The school," he said finally. He had arrived there, so perhaps the connection would be strongest there. Kaia nodded.

"If we want to make it before ten o'clock we'll need to run." She took off.

"Hey, wait!" Ed ran after her. They continued like this until Ed was sweaty and completely out of breath. They kept running, and running, and running some more. Ed was exhausted, but Kaia seemed almost unaffected. The only difference was a slight increase in her breathing. The sun rose and was only worsening things for Ed.

"Hey! Let's take a little break!" Ed panted.

"We've only got one more mile!" Kaia shouted back at him. Ed groaned. This was killing him. A few more minutes passed. They came up the walkway to the school. Kaia stuck her arm out, halting Ed. He dropped to the ground on his hands and knees, breathing hard. She checked her watch.

"We've got seven minutes until the next passing period. Can we be gone by then?" Ed glanced at her watch. It was 10:03.

"Sure." He glanced around for the spot he had woken up in. "There." He pointed. He hauled himself off the ground and they jogged over. Kaia stared at the clump of trees.

"So…what now?" she asked.

"Mustang, you there?" Ed tapped the mike.

"Unfortunately."

"How am I supposed to open the Gate from this side? I don't have my alchemy—" Ed started.

"Yes you do. You have access to alchemy just like how you're talking to me right now. The strain must be drawing on the girl from keeping it open this long, though. Get moving." Same old Mustang. Ed became acutely aware of Kaia's eyes on him. To think that this girl was holding open the portal between her world and his own was so absurd it was almost funny.

Ed pulled a sheet of paper from his left pants pocket. A complex transmutation circle had been drawn on it. He laid it on the ground and clapped his hands together.

"What is that?" Kaia asked, peering over his shoulder.

"A transmutation circle. It's our ticket home." He laid his hands on the page and blue alchemic light flashed. The air swirled around them, blowing Kaia's hair every which way.

"Fullmetal! Problems!" Mustang shouted.

"Damn it, what is it now?" Ed gritted his teeth as the wind blew the remains of his coat around, his hair dancing.

"You don't have enough power. Get Kaia to touch the transmutation circle." Mustang sounded panicked. Ed looked up at Kaia. The skirt of her dress whipped around her legs and she was struggling to see through her hair.

"Kaia!" he yelled over the wind. "Put your hands on the circle!"

"Why?" she shouted back, kneeling opposite him.

"Just do it!"

She did.

The air exploded in a neon blue, fading into white, and it was silent. The Gate stood before them. The pair rose to face it. Truth sat in a corner, but didn't bother them.

"You…" Kaia said, also noticing Truth's presence. He ignored her. Ed extended his hand to Kaia.

"Hold on tightly," he commanded. She looked at him for a long moment, evaluating him, but complied. Ed redirected his attention to the Gate.

"Take us to the bastard Roy Mustang!" he shouted.

"Very funny Fullmetal," Mustang said as a multitude of hands shot out to grab them. They pulled Ed in, but he could feel Kaia's hand slipping from his own. He twisted around to see her advancing on Truth. He tried to call out to her, but it was no good. That same neon blue exploded, but turned into darkness.

Kaia let go of Ed's hand and let him be pulled into the Gate. The hands had not come for her, so she figured that Truth wanted something from her. He stood.

"You are Truth?" Kaia asked, her voice sounding strange to her as it resounded off invisible walls.

"You could call me that." Truth grinned. It was a bit unsettling. They both remained silent as they waited for the other to speak. It had turned into a contest of sorts. Speaking would be considered weakness. Kaia balled her fists.

"Fine. You win this time, but only because there's somewhere I need to be right now. What is it that you want?" Kaia hated to loose, but was anxious to be off.

"You've paid me quite a bit of energy already. I owe you something for that. What did you see behind the Gate when it opened to take your friend?" Truth moved uncomfortably close.

"A whole bunch of eyes and some tentacle-y arms. Why? Was there something I missed?" Kaia didn't move back. She saw Truth's advance as a challenge, and this was one she could afford to fight.

"There are many things behind the Gate. I control what you see. All of the knowledge in existence lays in wait for someone willing to give up enough to see it. Would you like to take a look?" The offer was tempting.

"How have I been giving this energy you spoke of?" She wasn't going to let him catch her that easily.

"The boy you were with left it open to me. It's been seeping from your mind. I picked it up." He stepped closer still.

"It won't cost anything else?" She was hesitant, but all the knowledge in existence could lay behind that door. Ed had seemed to trust it to take him. And though Kaia didn't trust Ed, she didn't think he would throw his life away.

"I will stop the flow of information when it is equal to what you have already given," Truth promised.

"All right. I'll do it." Truth grinned.

"I hope you like what you see."

The door opened and the arms reached out to her, scrabbling on her skin. They drew her in. Information flicked past her at lightning speed. Her eyes widened, taking in all of it. She was half-aware that she was screaming, but it sounded distant in her ears. She found her mind being engraved with more knowledge than she had ever hoped to possess. It stopped.

She was stumbling out of the Gate, noticing the heaviness of her own breath.

"How was it?" She looked up to see Truth standing before her.

"A—amazing. What was all that?" she panted. Truth seemed surprised.

"Really? I've never had a person like the experience of Enlightenment. That was the Truth."

"The Truth…" Kaia murmured.

"Of course it wasn't the whole Truth. You haven't paid enough for that." It really bothered Kaia that she couldn't see where Truth was looking, or even know if he could see. She judged it as unimportant for the time being.

"How much would it cost to see the rest?" She tried to keep her heartbeat steady, suppressing the building excitement.

"You can pay in any variety of ways. Seeing as you don't know how to measure or contain your spirit energy it'll have to be something physical…"

"Blood?"

"What?"

"Can I pay in blood?"

The question caught Truth off guard.

"You would so willingly trade that?"

"Yeah. It makes the most sense."

"How so?" Truth cocked his head.

"You can accumulate it over time. The loss isn't permanent like with an arm or a leg, and my body would replace it automatically. It would just be a matter of taking tiny amounts of blood and letting it build up." She shrugged.

"Sounds reasonable. Congratulations on your deduction by the way. Most people wouldn't link Edward's missing limbs with payment."

"How much blood would it take?" She ignored his second comment.

"It's obviously a hefty price. After all, it _is _all the knowledge of the universe. It should be a nice round amount with a zero or two on the end. Ah, perfect. One hundred liters."

"That's a lot of blood."

"It's a lot of knowledge."

She paused.

"Deal." Truth's smile widened.

"I look forward to the day you achieve your goal." His tone of voice implied a challenge. That just heightened Kaia's resolve. "It's time to get you back in a physical form," Truth continued. He turned to look at the Gate looming over them. Kaia followed suit. Soon the Gate had swallowed her and was tugging her through the void. She could hear Truth's musings somewhere in the distance.

"_One hundred liters of blood. What a curious girl…"_

It went dark for a moment and then Kaia was being dragged through a vortex of color and images. She thought she might have been screaming. A few moments later she found herself on the ground, staring at two pairs of boots and trying to suppress coughs stirred from the dusty earth.

"What did you _do_ Fullmetal?"

"I don't know! It seemed to be going just as it should until the Gate opened!"

"What use is a soulless body?"

"How was I supposed to know it would happen?"

Kaia glanced inconspicuously at the rest of the feet around her. There were two pairs of the sort belonging to one of the arguing men, Ed's trademark boots, and a huge pair of furry paws. She decided to disregard those for now.

The larger pair of boots shifted. Kaia glanced upwards. The man attached to the boots was staring right back at her. Apparently she hadn't been inconspicuous enough. Oops. She froze, not knowing what to do.

"Sir," big-boot man said.

"Not now. Fullmetal—" little-boot man started.

"Sir—"

"I said not now! Fullme—"

"Sir!"

"Fine! What is it?"

"The girl, she's back." Everyone looked down. She smiled nervously. In an instant she was on her knees with her hand on the hilt of the dagger strapped to her thigh, but big-boot man's reflexes were sharp. He had a gun cocked and ready to fire at her. Kaia wasn't sure if he would actually shoot, so she opted for safety. She turned to look up at the mammoth.

"Nice gun," she said.

**Ed: You're in trouble now. We're back in my world, so I have the advantage.**

**Kaia: Psh. It's not like you made it that way. The authoress just likes to put me in awkward situations.**

**Play nicely now, children.**

**Ed: Don't call me a child!**

**Kaia: Was that intended as derogatory? Are you challenging me?**

**Ed: Of course it's derogatory you idiot!**

**Kaia: You're the idiot, idiot! *draws a knife***

**Ed: *transmutes arm into blade***

**Both: *fighting***

**Anyways… I just realized that I never put a disclaimer at the beginning of this chapter. I don't own FMA or else it probably would have exploded beyond recognition quite a while ago. It feels kind of nice to have the disclaimer down here instead. It's…refreshing. I think I'll continue to do this.**

**Mustang: I don't think it makes any difference.**

**Shut up. No one cares what you think.**

**Random Mustang Fangirl: I care what you think!**

**OMG! It's you again! How do you keep getting in here? *runs after her with a chainsaw***

**Everyone: …**

**There! I locked her in a closet! Anyhow, instead of using Al's cute innocence to make you feel obligated to review, I wrote a poem. *Clears throat***

**Roses are red,**

**Violets are blue,**

**Click the shiny review button,**

**Or my minions will kill you.**

**Ed: I think you kind of missed the point…**

**I guess we'll just stick with Al then.**

**Al: Review! *smiles***

**Click the button.**

**It gets very lonesome.**


	5. A Plan

**All right! Chapter five. I've been looking around the site at FMA fanfics, trying to become motivated to write this, and I realized something.**

**PEOPLE TAKE FOREVER TO UPLOAD!**

**Perhaps I'm just being impatient.**

**Perhaps I have too much free time.**

**Perhaps people need to keep up with their stories.**

**It's really frustrating.**

**Ed: Yeah. Move along?**

**No, I won't move along. This is a devastating fault in my life. I **_**also**_** realized that none of these other fanfictions seem to satisfy my FMA fangirliness. I just keep thinking of how I like my characters better, but I just don't feel like writing them down. I just want it to be done!**

**Truth: You can't have something from nothing. Equivalent exchange.**

**Shut up…**

**~The Precious Kittens~**

**Watergoddesskasey: Thanks for all the encouragement!**

**Look at the pitiful amount of reviews! Come on now! I see how many of you have looked at these chapters! Why aren't you reviewing? Just tell me you love it, or if it's complete crap, just say SOMETHING!**

**Kaia: On to the story!**

**Mustang: That's very unusual for you to take the initiative. I thought you were busy with your knives.**

**Kaia: I, uh, finished with those. Now they can hold up Armstrong. *points at Armstrong***

**Armstrong: *dangles from an alchemically made wall, suspended by knives***

**Ed: *sighs***

**We better get going now!**

**Chapter Five: A Plan**

Kaia rose to her feet, noting that the giant kept his gun trained on her. She didn't move her hand from her knife.

"Take it easy now. No need to do something rash," little-boot man said. Kaia backed up slightly, taking a defensive stance, but the knife stayed in its holster.

"You are Mustang?" she asked little-boot man. He smiled.

"Yes. Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist. This is Major Armstrong, the Armstrong Alchemist. And you obviously know Ed, but he probably didn't introduce himself properly. Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist." He practically seemed to glow with arrogance.

"What about him?" Kaia pointed towards the furry creature. Everyone tensed, but no one answered. "Never mind," she said quickly. The tension dissipated.

"At ease, Armstrong," Mustang commanded.

"Yes, sir." Armstrong put away his gun and saluted. Mustang looked to Kaia in a silent request for her to relax. She didn't move.

"Please, let's just talk about this like civilized people." Mustang's voice was low and soothing, but still held a note of authority. Kaia rose from her defensive stance, but kept her hand on her knife.

"Get talking," she said. Mustang almost laughed. He liked her blunt mannerisms.

"You know, you really shouldn't be talking like that," Ed said.

"How come?" Kaia demanded.

"We have the upper hand here. We have alchemy." Ed grinned and clapped his hands together. "Now this is for making me run almost two miles in a forest for nothing!" His hands hit the ground, starting to transmute a giant hand to grab Kaia.

Her knife was out and through the center of the half formed appendage, disrupting the transmutation and making the rest of the rock vaporize into drifting molecules, mixing with the air. Ed's eyes barely had time to widen before he felt himself falling back, tugged over by two weights in the shoulders of his jacket. He hit the ground, hard. All the air whooshed out of his lungs.

"That's some nice work there," Mustang said, completely ignoring the assault of his subordinate. Ed obviously hadn't been seriously hurt.

"Don't think your compliments are having any effect on the state of my mind." Kaia had readopted a defensive stance, but this time the knife stayed in her hand. It had somehow been instantaneously retrieved from the alchemic mess.

"No. You don't strike me as the type of girl to be so easily swayed." Mustang was laying it on thick, but it, as Kaia had said, was having no effect. Her posture didn't change. Her hand shot out, snatching two knives out of the air as they darted towards her. She turned to Ed who was still gasping heavily.

"Thanks," she said, stuffing the needle-thin knives back into the white straps of her sandals. They were the knives she had used to pin Ed down just a few seconds prior. It was amazing that she could get enough momentum to knock over a person behind objects that small. "Now," she said, turning back to Mustang, "Explain why you brought me here."

"I don't typically accept orders from civilians."

"Most civilians can't beat your alchemy. I can. Now get to it."

"How did you know how to stop Fullmetal's attack anyway?"

"You're trying to distract me."

"No, just curious."

"I learned a lot on the journey here." This struck Ed like a physical blow.

"You… you saw Truth?" he stammered.

"Yeah. That's what held me up. He wanted to repay his debt, balance the scales. He said that I had been giving him energy and he gave me knowledge in return." That was an unusually complete response for Kaia in this type of situation. She hated to see Ed looking so confused. He just had an earnest longing to learn, nothing more. She felt obliged to explain.

"I'm sure you two will have plenty of time to discuss your various experiences later. Why don't I answer your question?" Mustang interrupted. Kaia remained silent, but looked at him expectantly.

"We brought you here on orders. Those orders came directly from our leader the Fuhrer King Bradley. I don't know how he found you, being in another universe, but he did, and he decided that there was a high chance that you could be of great use to his military. Our orders from here are to conduct tests with you to evaluate your potential as an alchemist." Mustang strode toward Kaia, just out of reach in her current position.

"That's a lot of work on your part riding on a chance that I _could_ be what you need."

"Apparently you could be very useful. Anything else you'd like to know for now?"

"First of all, drop the friendly crap. I can see that it's fake. There's no need to try to be polite. I don't care. Second, explain the basis of alchemy. Alchemy itself is believed to be a myth in my world." She tucked her knife back in its holder, but still kept her hand on the hilt.

"It probably doesn't exist in your world. For whatever reason, the world we are currently in was made in a fashion that allows us to harness energy from an outside source. There are three steps to alchemy. First you must determine the components of a material, then break those components down into their simplest form, and finally reconstruct it into something new. Since alchemy is science rather than magic, it has laws, the foremost of which being equivalent exchange. The mass of the finished product has to equal what you put in. We use transmutation circles to grasp the energy surrounding us in order to pull it all together." Mustang lazily strolled around her, kicking up dirt and digging his heel into the ground.

A car pulled up at the curb. A man with a cigarette dangling from his lips stuck his head out the window.

"You need a lift, colonel?" he asked, obviously knowing the answer. Mustang just smiled. He started over towards the car and gestured for everyone to follow. Mustang had already claimed shotgun when the rest of the group had straggled over. Kaia was lagging a bit behind. She was peering around, looking for the strange furry creature from earlier.

"I'm glad that you're coming without a fight, but what's your reasoning?" Mustang asked Kaia through the window.

"Think about it. Where else would I go? I have no money, no connections, and no chance in this world, and I am most definitely never going back to that hellhole I used to call home. I have judged this to be the most rewarding and logical path." She shrugged as if it didn't really matter.

"You mean you'll cut your ties to that place so easily? You don't even seem to care what happens back there," Ed said.

"That's because I don't care." Kaia stared into those deep golden eyes, seeing something there that she hadn't before. This conversation seemed to have sparked some bad memories. Perhaps Ed had forced himself to leave something dear like she had to do now. Perhaps they were similar. Kaia shook her head gently, breaking her gaze. This was no time for thoughts like that.

"I hate to interrupt, but we need to get going," Mustang said.

They soon found themselves squished in the backseat of the car, Kaia and Armstrong nearest the windows and Ed squished in-between. He was still in a bad mood from when Kaia had swatted off his attack so easily. He hadn't given it all his power, but it was still unnerving to see what she could do. Armstrong's incessant sparkles weren't helping either.

They drove along in silence for a couple more minutes. Kaia was staring out the window, gawking at everything they passed. Armstrong sat facing forward, his girth shunting Ed toward Kaia. Mustang and Havoc chatted idly about paperwork.

"What kind of supports do you use in your buildings?" Kaia shattered the quiet.

Ed turned to her. "What?"

"Your buildings. How do you support them?"

"Why in the world would you ask that?"

"Now, now, Ed," Mustang tutted. "Be civil. It depends on the type of building. Places like the military headquarters use metal bars, but most homes and small businesses just use wood." Kaia nodded and went back to staring out the window. Mustang looked back at her and smiled.

"You're awfully cheery today, sir. Did you solve whatever was bothering you yesterday?" Havoc glanced over at Mustang as he spoke. After Ed thought about it he remembered Mustang being unusually cranky the previous day.

"You're right. What was that about anyways?" Ed propped his head on his auto-mail hand. His glove had been shredded to pieces, so the cool metal pressed against one of the various bruises from the mission. It felt nice against his hot skin.

"What do you think? These orders came directly from the Fuhrer, so if it flopped it would be on my head." Typical Mustang. It was all about the orders.

"Why would the Fuhrer give _you_ such an important mission?" Ed crossed his legs.

"He was saying that he thought you might like meeting Kaia. You're also the one with the most experience with the Gate. And besides, I'm used to dealing with all sorts of unusual things. I was the obvious choice," Mustang bragged.

"No disrespect, sir, but why is she so important?" Havoc asked.

"She's a lot more powerful than she looks. Don't underestimate her or you'll end up like Fullmetal." Mustang smirked.

"She's the one that did all that?" Havoc stared disbelievingly at Ed in the rearview mirror.

"No! I was out in some pretty harsh conditions, that's all." Ed glanced over at Kaia. She was still watching the things zipping past the window, apparently oblivious to conversation. Ed had his doubts. He found it highly unlikely that Kaia would zone out during this important of a conversation.

"But she did give you one hell of a bruise on your face." Mustang laughed quietly. There was no way he would ever let this go. Ed blushed and turned away quickly. He found himself looking at Kaia again. He swore that there was a faint smile playing about her lips. She moved to look at him, and then turned to Mustang.

"I hate to interrupt, but is there any connection left to my world? Can anything get through?" The smile had faded, replaced in her concern.

"So you _do_ care!" Ed pointed an accusing finger.

"No, moron. There's something I would like to do if there's no chance of anyone from my world coming here." Kaia sounded like she was trying to teach an extremely slow child.

"This world and your world are now completely cut off. We would need to reopen the Gate for anything to get through," Mustang answered, cutting off the bickering.

"Good. Excuse me." Kaia pulled one of her eyelids open and plucked out a contact. A colored contact. It was that shocking blue that Ed thought looked so out of place. She removed the other contact and blinked repeatedly, a few tears running down her cheeks. She noticed Ed watching and turned to him.

"Something wrong?" she asked, wiping the tears away with her arm. Ed just stared, frozen.

"I didn't expect that," Mustang said. He was also studying her eyes. She just blinked and jutted out her chin defiantly.

Her eyes were a very light purple, almost lavender, but reflected deeply. Ed could see himself in the shadows. His jaw tightened. She had the eyes of a homunculus, just like Envy, but her eyes were wide and innocent, not at all like Lust's menacing gaze. She stared back at him.

"I asked if there was something wrong. If there's something you want to say, say it!" She bit down on her lower lip, brain churning.

"Why were you wearing those contacts?" Mustang asked.

"My foster mother didn't want a freak in her house. She thought my eyes and hair made me a freak. She bought these when I was first able to use them. That's the only substantial money I've ever had spent on me. She made me dye my hair too." Kaia chewed thoughtfully on her lip. "Why?"

"What color is your hair naturally?" Mustang ignored her question.

"It's actually multi-colored. It's all different shades of blue and green."

There was silence.

"Do you know why that is?" Mustang asked her yet another question as Havoc parked the car in front of HQ. No one noticed that they had arrived, or at least no one moved.

"No. It's been that way all my life. Don't get me wrong, I like having it that way. I always feel very unique. My hair grows really quickly too. My foster mom used to cut it off to my ears so there wouldn't be so much to dye, but it would be down to my shoulders within a week. By the time a month ended it would be down to the length it is now and most of it would be my natural color again. So she started dying it while it was this length. It never grows past here. Speaking of that, don't be alarmed." Ed was about to ask what not to be alarmed about when Kaia pulled out a knife. Ed shrank, his back pressing into Armstrong. Everyone else had similar reactions. Kaia pulled her hair back loosely in one hand and brought the knife down.

Her hair fell, contained within one of her small fists. She had cut off about two feet of hair. Now it only fell just below her shoulders. She tied the disconnected strands around her wrist and shook her head to dislodge any straggling hairs.

"Much better," she said, sheathing her knife. No one had quite recovered yet. "Shall we go inside?" Kaia pointed towards the building, breaking the trance.

Everyone got out and Havoc pulled the car away to go park it. Their rag-tag group made its way up to the office, led by Mustang. Kaia marveled at everything they passed, sometimes murmuring comments obviously meant only for her. The door opened on a suspiciously focused office. A blonde woman near the commanding desk was glaring at any officer who even paused in their labor. Her right hand rested on her gun.

"Well, isn't she pleasant," Kaia breathed. She was standing right behind Ed, so he felt the warm air dance across his ear with her words. Mustang strode briskly to his desk.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. That will be all." He sat in the black chair. She saluted and returned to her desk, pulling out a book. Everyone breathed a silent sigh of relief. Havoc took his place at a desk.

"You are dismissed, Major," Mustang told the large man. Armstrong saluted and left. Mustang beckoned the remaining two over. They came. The office members were shooting tentative glances, trying unsuccessfully to conceal their curiosity.

"We finally made it," the Colonel said. Neither of the teens responded. "Fine. Down to business then. Kaia. The only way to see your alchemic skill is to teach you some basic alchemy. Fullmetal. You will be her teacher."

There was a brief moment of silence. Then they exploded.

"You expect me to teach _her_? She won't cooperate!"

"He's too weak to even fend off a physical attack!"

"How should that have anything to do with it? It's mental!"

"Train the body to train the mind!"

"Well you've got the body without the mind! You're just too stupid!"

"I haven't had the resources! You're just too quick to judge!"

"You're just a temperamental _girl_!"

Kaia froze.

"Do you mean to say that because I'm a girl I can't learn alchemy?" Her eyes glinted.

"Yes."

Her breath hitched. She put her head down, concealing her eyes. She made her way to one of the windows in a few steps, throwing open the glass.

"Kaia," Mustang warned. She ignored him, her sandals clicking on the floor as the came back to face Ed. In one fluid movement she grabbed him by the collar, dragged him to the window, and chucked him outside. He crashed through a tree and sprawled on the ground.

"This is the third floor!" Mustang had stood up and was running over to the window.

"Sexist pig!" Kaia was gripping the windowsill with white knuckles. "You can't even begin to comprehend what I'm capable of!"

She didn't know how true that was.

"Well how do you know? You've never tried alchemy!" Ed had gotten up and was yelling at her from the ground.

"It's obviously not very hard, if you can do it!"

"I'm one of the best alchemists out there!"

"Well then why don't you make yourself taller?" The comment stung.

"Human transmutation is forbidden. You can't go against the flow of the world!"

"It's not against the flow of the world! That only deals with the soul! All you would do is add more materials to the body! If you leave the soul alone there's no problem! Only a moron would miss that!"

"So you think you could do a transmutation to make me taller?"

"Of course!"

"I don't think you can!"

"Is that a challenge? Fine! If I can perform the transmutation at the end of a week then you have to teach me all that you know!"

"And when it fails you have to find another teacher!"

"Fine! It's your job to equip me with everything you've got in the next week."

"If I didn't I would be cheating. Are you calling me a cheater?"

"No. You're wasting my time. Let's start already!" Kaia put one foot on the sill and jumped out the window, gently alighting next to Ed.

"Colonel!" Ed yelled up at the window. "I'm taking her to the library!" With that the pair took off, Ed with scratches and tattered clothing and Kaia with her hair hacked off unevenly. Their bickering could be heard from three blocks away.

All the office members looked like they had been hit with a tornado.

"Well… That went better than I expected," Mustang said simply.

**Congratulations! We've taken the second major step in the plotline!**

**Mustang: What was the first?**

**Getting to this dimension, of course! What do you have to say to that Kaia?**

**Kaia: *reading furiously***

**Ed?**

**Ed: *piling up books for Kaia***

**Al?**

**Al: I think that it's great!**

**Yay! A response! Do you know what would make me even happier?**

**Mustang: Let me guess. Reviews?**

**Of course! You wouldn't imagine how happy it makes me when I see a new review! It makes me happy enough to write another chapter!**

**Al: So review to keep her satisfied and make sure that she doesn't write another poem!**

**Come on… It wasn't **_**that**_ **bad… Oh, almost forgot.**

**I still don't own FMA because if I did Winry would be dead.**

**Al: Why would you kill Winry?**

…

**I have a grudge.**

**Hughes: That's just a tad bit disturbing.**

**Hughes! You're here!**

**Hughes: *winks***

**Anyhow… this is getting out of hand. Al!**

**Al: Review! It practically makes the authoress explode with happiness. A happy authoress=more chapters!**

**Click the shiny review button.**

**Do it for Al's pets!**

**And a place in the sacred guild of the Precious Kittens…**


	6. Day One

**Drumroll, please! I now present…**

**Chapter Six!**

**Mustang: That was melodramatic.**

**I was just having some fun! You could try it every once in a while…**

**Al: Having fun is good! Someone could tell Ed and Kaia that though.**

**Kaia: *sprawled among books, still reading***

**Ed: *buried in a collapsed stack of books***

**Yeah. I don't really want to interrupt them.**

**Mustang: I would rather keep my head.**

**~Precious Kittens~**

**Watergoddesskasey-I thank you for your undying support. I don't even need to frighten you into reviewing. Take care to note that I will call upon you if I happen to have a writing-related injury. I'll give you your choice in reward items. Just leave your preference in a review.**

**Little Firework-Gratias tibi ago! That means I give thanks to you in Latin! So yeah… Stuff… Would you like a cookie and some whipped cream?**

**Emi the Shorty-Thank you very much! I try my best to keep it active, but no one else is reading this before I post it, so it's just me. I try though. And with Ed and Kaia's interaction, it's just based on what my interaction would be with Ed. Kaia is me, or I am Kaia. And I do not fear your entrance into the sacred guild of the Precious Kittens. I have no reason to fear.**

**Look at the pitiful amount of Precious Kittens! I see how many of you read this, take the time to review! Don't make me beg! Anyways…**

**Let's **_**do**_** this thing!**

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**Chapter Six: Day One**

Shuffling papers and scratching pens created background noise for the working soldiers. The officers had been lulled into a steady rhythm of signing and typing. It was a typical day.

The faint buzz of voices drifted in through the window, not disturbing anyone. The voices grew in volume as the source got nearer. Suddenly it was chaos. Shouts echoed up through the window, belonging to two particular teenagers down on the street. Mustang's eye twitched. He stood, slamming his hands on the desk. He stomped over to the window and stuck his head out.

"Keep it down!" he yelled. A thunk was heard. His head reappeared with a new book-shaped imprint across his nose. He closed the window and sat back down, giving up. Within moments the pair could be heard bursting through the front door and slowly making their way up the stairs, still arguing. The door opened and slammed against the wall. Ed marched in, face hidden behind a stack of books. Bags spilling over with more books were slung on his arms. Kaia appeared, lugging just as many volumes.

"I still don't see why you need all these! It's not like you'll get through them all in a week!" Ed dumped the books in the middle of the floor.

"These? I'll be done with these in two days!" Kaia stacked the books she had carried next to the ones Ed had thrown down. She then sank to the ground and picked up a copy of _Introduction to Alchemy_, cracked it open, and began to read. Ed stomped over to Mustang and threw his hands down on the desk, the auto-mail clunking heavily against the dark wood.

"She's impossible!" A shaking finger was thrust in Kaia's general direction.

"She seems to be doing just as she should." Mustang clasped his hands. "After all, she's avidly studying and is making an offer to rush for you. She's the perfect pupil."

"You didn't see her at the library. The guard stopped her and before I could explain she picked him up and threw him halfway through the library! Then she just walks in and starts looking at the books, casual as can be! The librarians just stood there with the guard sprawled over their desk. I explained everything, but by the time I caught up with Kaia she had half the library strewn on the tables! I managed to get it down to this, but—"

"All I see is a very dedicated student. You just need to keep her out of trouble, Fullmetal," Mustang interrupted.

"Keep her out of trouble? Since when did she become _my_ responsibility?" Ed protested.

"Since now. I officially order you, Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, to guide, protect, and educate Kaia… whatever her last name is." Mustang trailed off, looking over at her. "It's not that bad, is it? I mean, she's awfully cute."

"Pervert. How do you suppose I should go about doing that? You've seen how she throws people around. Even _I_ don't stand a chance," Ed admitted grudgingly.

"I would suggest getting on her good side. Just don't make her mad. Charm her. It always works with girls." Mustang shrugged, unaware of the figure looming behind him.

"Are you suggesting that he can meld my mind because I'm a girl?" a deadly voice hissed at Mustang.

"Of course not. I—" Mustang was cut off as his head slammed into the wall. He dropped to the floor, unconscious. Kaia glanced over at Ed, now cowering in the corner.

"Just stay out of my way. I don't hurt people without a reason. If you help me and don't try to interrupt then you'll be fine." Kaia dropped down beside her books.

"You can't just go attacking guards though. I can talk with them. It would have only taken a few seconds." Ed was testing the waters. He thought that he had pushed too far when Kaia glared back over at him, but her gaze softened.

"I'll keep that in mind." In a moment her nose was back in the book. Ed relaxed. Had he actually just survived that? Or was this an unconscious dream following her attack? He pinched his flesh arm and gave a little yelp. Definitely still conscious. He looked back over at her, sitting in the middle of the floor and surrounded by books. She looked almost content, like a normal teenaged girl. He glanced at his reflection in the window and saw the ugly bruise on his face, reminding him of exactly what she could do. He approached nervously and began organizing the books, stacking them according to subject matter. Kaia didn't make a move to stop him, so she either didn't notice or didn't care.

He finished his categorizing and backed up towards his favorite seat. It was a dark wooden chest connecting two bookcases made of the same wood. It had a cushion on top, covered in a dark green material. He plopped down, sending some dust flying, and leaned his head back against the wall. He felt his eyes slip closed. It was exhausting to be around Kaia. She just seemed to leech energy. Darkness tugged on the corners of his mind and he let it coat his thoughts, relinquishing himself to sleep.

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Kaia ignored Ed's organizing. She felt him move away and heard the hiss of escaping air signaling that he had sat down on something. A few minutes later she set down the first book. It had been a good starting point with some very basic theory. She glanced over at Ed to see him asleep, chest rising and falling gently. She decided to ignore this as well and instead let her eyes skim over the stacks of books. They had been organized by subject. She found a stack starting with another book about introductions and picked it up. Perhaps this one would yield some new information.

It turned out to be almost identical to the first. She didn't mind the repetitious lines, though. If anything she felt that repetition was one of the best forms of solidifying information, even for someone with a photographic memory. She felt her fingertips drumming on the floor as she read, processed, and filed the information. A strange clunking filled the room. Kaia shot a glance through her hair. It appeared that a seven foot suit of armor had just entered a military base with nothing more than a few salutations. She just smiled ever so slightly and returned to her book.

She read for a good six more hours. She managed to get through eight books and had about ten pages left on the ninth. She could hear the murmuring of voices in the background, but shut them out. The book was talking about alchemic amplifiers. She found those incredibly interesting. A hand entered her line of vision.

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"Wake him up," Mustang ordered. Al, for indeed it was he, shook the boy's shoulder gently.

"Brother…" Al whispered. Ed stirred, blinking sleepily. His mind was bogged down and slow to respond.

"What is it, Al?" Ed rubbed his eyes.

"Go to bed, Fullmetal." Mustang was looking at him over his once-again clasped hands. Ed nodded. He vaguely heard Mustang ordering Hawkeye to do something, but turned away. He took in the books and the girl sprawled in the middle of the floor and the days events rushed back to him. He practically ran out of the room. He felt sorry for whoever had to interrupt Kaia. You truly didn't know the meaning of a death glare until you took Kaia's book away. For the time being he decided to follow the Colonel's orders and made his way to his room. Whether it was from opening the Gate twice in a row or Kaia's never-ending energy, he was dead tired. He barely had time to slip off his boots before he fell into bed, already asleep.

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Kaia jumped and smacked the hand away, grabbing a knife with the other hand. She almost dropped the book, but scrambled up to her feet, brandishing her dagger and the _Beginner's Alchemy_ book. She found herself facing the blond-haired lieutenant that had been left in charge of the office.

"Calm down," a voice chuckled from behind her. "Hawkeye's just going to take you to your room." Kaia glanced down at the book. She was on the last page. She focused on the last few unread lines, storing the image to be read later, and snapped the book closed.

Hawkeye began to stack the books into a suitcase. Kaia sheathed her knife. The lieutenant snapped the bag closed. It was a good sized container, but there were still four books left outside. Kaia grabbed the bag from Hawkeye's feet and gathered the remaining volumes, tucking them under her arm. She glanced back at the lieutenant who stared back, unfazed.

The pair headed out the door, Hawkeye in the lead. Her brisk footsteps echoed off the empty walls. Kaia stared at the back of her head as if trying to see the thoughts inside.

"The room you'll be in is a military dorm. Edward shares the room to the right with his brother Alphonse. You'll find clothes in the dresser and writing tools in the desk. There's a bathroom at the back. Feel free to use everything in it." Hawkeye never turned around. Kaia sighed.

"Tell me, lieutenant. Do you trust me?" There was silence. "Go on. Be honest. It's not like you'll hurt my feelings."

"No, I don't." Kaia smiled at Hawkeye's blunt response.

"I'm glad." Hawkeye stopped and turned around to find Kaia looking steadily at her. "If you trusted so easily you would be a moron. You seem to be a good shot with that gun, and it seems like everyone respects you. I hate women that let society's stereotypes form them. That's the reason that girls are so weak, you know. They've had it engraved upon them that they are a certain way, so they believe that's how they are. It's disgusting. Thank you for being so abnormal."

Hawkeye wasn't sure what to say, so she turned back around and kept walking. Soon they came up on the room. Hawkeye opened the door and entered. She flipped on the light and gestured for Kaia to follow. She hesitated, but came, dropping the suitcase on the floor. She peered around the room, taking in the bland essentials. This was more than she had ever had for herself. Her gaze rested on the Lieutenant.

"Is there anything else you need?" Hawkeye asked.

"No. Thank you." Kaia shook her head.

"All right. Good night then, and happy birthday." Hawkeye made as if to salute, but then just bowed her head slightly. The door clicked behind her. Kaia flopped down on the bed, breathing in the scents of the new place. Why did Hawkeye know that it was her birthday? She didn't seem like a major player in this mission, so shouldn't have been given information. Kaia decided to put it aside for now. She glanced up at a clock ticking in the corner. It was eight o'clock at night. She decided to explore the new place before going back to reading.

A quick sweep of the desk revealed some paper, pencils, pens, erasers, and a small notebook. The desk itself was made of a dark wood. It wasn't polished, but it felt very solid. A small silver lamp sat on the surface. The dresser was made of the same wood with knobs made of a shining brass. The clothes inside consisted of muted colors. There were crisp white shirts, a few plain white tees, a pair of black slacks, and few dark blue skirts. There was also a light blue nightgown that strongly reminded her of hospital pajamas. She moved on to the bathroom.

There were essentials. A hairbrush, shampoo, body wash, a razor, shaving cream, toothbrush, toothpaste, washcloths, and towels had obviously been set there earlier. There was a small bottle set apart near the sink. Kaia picked it up. It was vanilla scented lotion. She wondered it Hawkeye had put it there. A brief smile flashed on her lips and she set the bottle down. Perhaps a quick shower was in order. She was awfully sweaty from her experience in the Gate.

A few minutes later she stepped out of the tub. After wringing out her hair and wrapping herself in a towel she traced something in the condensation on the mirror. Today's date, September thirteenth, would be a day to remember. It was the date of her passage into a new life.

She passed back into the main room, running her fingertips over the rough blue material of a couch. Kaia opened the dresser drawer and pulled out the nightgown, the crisp folds still confining it in a small square. She slipped it over her head and tugged down at the bottom. It didn't even reach her knees. The chest was a bit tight and the waist far too loose, but it was comfortable enough. Rubbing the towel through her hair, she made her way back to the bathroom. She hung the towel back on the rack and made to leave, but paused. She grabbed the bottle of lotion and flicked off the lights.

Kaia rubbed some of the perfumed moisturizer onto her hands and sat on the bed. She pressed her hands on her nose, taking in the luxurious scent. It was strong, but smelled nice. Faint traces of the chemicals used to scent it lingered behind, but it smelled mostly as it should. Kaia smiled behind her hands. She laid down and rubbed her feet on the cotton sheet. It felt pleasant against her bare skin. She just let herself stay there for a few minutes, indulging in the simple pleasures these new experiences brought her.

Her mind strayed into what she had read. She reviewed the last few unread lines of the book.

_The most sought after amplifier is mainly thought of as a myth or a legend. It goes by many names, but is often called the Philosopher's Stone. It is thought that with this stone the laws of equivalent exchange could be bypassed, rendering the user virtually unstoppable. There is no logged way of creating the stone, but some people are believed to have found a way and were driven insane by what they found. That is why the Stone is often called the Devil's Task. All scientists researching it have either given up their work or been driven insane by it._

The book started into a bibliography. Kaia let the image fade from her mind. The book hadn't really explained much. The Philosopher's Stone was still basically an idea, a fantasy. It was strange that people researching it were driven mad, of course. She made a mental note to ask Ed about it tomorrow. She glanced back at the clock in the corner. It was nearing nine o'clock. Kaia got up and retrieved the hairbrush from the bathroom. She tugged it through her hair, looking at herself in the small mirror.

After finishing this she grabbed one of her knives from the desk. She returned to the bathroom and started to even out her hair. The natural color would start to show at the top in about two days. By the end of the week the natural color would be just below her shoulders. Kaia thought vaguely about keeping it that way once it grew out. She kind of liked the way it looked. A few more minutes of cutting left her hair looking pretty decent. It was still shoulder length, but had a bit of a curved edge. As it dried it started to wave and curl. She sighed and dropped her knife back on the desk as she drew out another book. She dropped onto the bed and lay on her side, curling around the book. She began to read.

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Ed's eyes flicked open.

"Brother! You're awake!" Al's voice resounded from the opposite side of the room. His metal creaked as he rose. Ed glanced up at the clock by his bed. It was almost midnight. He yawned and stretched, trying to jump start his groggy mind.

"Yeah. Al? Would you go get me some food?" Ed pulled the tie out of his braid and combed his fingers through his hair, letting it down.

"Sure. You'll never believe it. The girl from before, Kaia, she's in the room right next to ours! The colonel said it was because we're around the same age and that it would be convenient for the student to be near the teacher." Al waited for a response, but none came. He clunked out the door, his heavy footsteps clanging from down the hall. Ed waited until they had faded away.

"Damn it," he muttered. He glanced out into the hallway and after assuring that the coast was clear he stepped out. He faced the doors. He knew that Kaia couldn't be in the one on the right because that was currently occupied by a few rowdy military men fresh from basic training. He would be glad to see them leave after their week of living in the dorms. They were noisy and always smelled of alcohol.

Ed stepped over to the door on the left. He raised his right hand to knock, but thought better of it. He rapped on the door with his flesh hand instead. There was no response. He tried again. Still nothing. The door was unlocked, so he poked his head in.

Kaia was curled up on the bed, completely absorbed in a book. She didn't even notice him come in. He let his eyes wander over the room. A small pile of knives were heaped on the desk in the corner. He smirked.

Ed kept his eyes on Kaia as he strolled over to the desk. She still didn't look up. He stretched his hand out and brushed the tip of one of the knives. It brought a tiny trickle of blood to the surface. He grabbed the hilt and turned back to Kaia.

"Hey." His voice rang through the silence and Kaia's head snapped up. A knife appeared in her hand. In a moment Ed found himself disarmed and had a knife at his throat. Kaia held the knife close enough to his skin that he could feel it sapping his body heat. She backed off, glaring at him.

"What do you want?" Kaia snapped, tucking the knife back in its case.

"I just came to check on you." Ed thought his intentions were good enough, but Kaia was obviously not of the same opinion.

"Why should you care what I do?" She fingered the hilt of her knife. It made Ed nervous.

"Mustang put you under my care. That means if you're in bad condition I take the blame. Besides, I can't teach you if you're tired." Ed glared back at her.

"You once again judge me without any prior knowledge. You've never seen me work in a sleep deprived state. You can't talk like you know me." Her guard was up and she was getting annoyed with the arrogant boy.

"I was just basing it off a normal person."

"I'm not a normal person." Ed sighed. He knew that much.

"Just go to sleep." Ed strolled over to the bed, picked up the book, and marked her place. It was a book about the different types of transmutation circles and the various reactions they could bring. "Do you find it interesting?" He waved the book.

"Of course! It's amazing! I mean, the whole world is basically made of equations and to think that you can harness it with a few simple sketches… it's… it's incredible." She trailed off, looking past Ed into something only she could see. He found it a bit strange to be looked at, but to not be registered. Her vacant stare was actually starting to weird him out, so he interrupted her thoughts.

"We'll go over it tomorrow. For now, just sleep." Her expression hardened with his words.

"You think I need your help?" Her tone was hard, distant.

"Well, I _am_ your teacher," Ed started.

"It doesn't matter to me what Mustang has said to you. If I require your assistance I'll ask for it. If I don't ask I don't need you." Her glare ushered Ed out of the room. He slammed the door behind him, only to find Al standing there.

"Brother…?" Al was able to ask without speaking.

"She's just an ungrateful brat! I offer to help and all she does is treat me like crap!" Ed stormed back into his room. Al sighed and followed, balancing his tray of food on one hand.

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Kaia heard Ed's complaints from the hall. She felt a slight tug of guilt, but banished it with the thought of his assuming that she needed his help. She didn't need help from anyone here, least of all from him. She would do this on her own, just like she always did. It would work out. It always did. She just had to keep going. Kaia glanced around the room once more, searching for nonexistent threats, and upon finding none flipped off the light. She pulled back the sheets on her bed and slipped in between them. She had never slept in a proper bed before. It was cushy. The moonlight falling across her face illuminated her hands as she pressed them against her cheeks. They still smelled of vanilla. She didn't trust this place or the people in it.

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**Done with chapter six! Finally. Sorry for the delay. I've been a bit busy.**

**Kaia: It's all excuses.**

**It doesn't matter. I'm feeling a bit tired now. Care to do the disclaimer for me Al?**

**Al: Of course. The authoress does not own FMA because if she did, it… *squinting at cue card* What does that say?**

**Ed: It would have a lot more to do with inter-dimensional travel.**

**Mustang: I'm pretty happy staying in this dimension.**

**Mustang Fangirl: You're amazing wherever you are, Mustang!**

**Everyone: …**

**Armstrong: *takes off shirt* I'll drive out the infestation of fangirls!**

**Mustang Fangirl: *faints from fright***

**Anyhow… Review!**

**Join the sacred guild of the Precious Kittens.**

**We have a really great insurance plan!**

**And pudding! We have pudding!**

**Take pity on the poor, lonely shiny review button!**

**Give it some attention!**


	7. Day Two

**Now it's time to unveil my newest creation… Chapter Seven!**

**Kaia: Duh duh duhn…**

**Shut up. I'm just trying to have some fun.**

**~Precious Kittens~**

**Princess Kiki-I have pretty much no idea what you just said. I'm glad that I could spark some ideas though!**

**Geororo-Wow. I must say that is the nicest comment I've ever had on my writing. You cannot image how happy I was when I read it. I mean that literally. I started screaming and jumping up and down, ran outside to find my mom (nearly killing a cat in the process), screamed at her for a good five minutes until I calmed down enough to tell her about it, proceeded to tell her, ran back inside, went in and told my eight-year-old sister and her friend (even though they didn't care at all and gave me some really scared looks), and ran back into my room to read it again and laugh hysterically into my pillow. You made me happy. Laying my reaction out like this makes it seem a bit extreme, though. Anyhow, thanks a bunch.**

**Watergoddesskasey-I've decided to start saying thank you in a different language each chapter. First comes the phrase then the language I used. Wliwni ni (Wliwni, Oliwni) – Abenaki.**

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**My gosh, I've been obsessively listening to the song that the Roma sing in the FMA movie. It's called Kelas if anyone wanted to know.**

**Ed: No one wanted to know.**

**Random Mustang Fangirl: I wanted to know!**

…

**Kaia: You're just trying to avoid being locked in a closet again.**

**Random Mustang Fangirl: I do tend to dislike closets unless Mustang is in them.**

**Ed: Too much information!**

**Al: Moving along!**

**I must agree with Al. This note is taking a nasty turn. On with the story!**

**Al: Enjoy the chapter!**

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**Chapter Seven: Day Two**

Kaia awoke to footsteps outside her door. She was momentarily disconcerted by the unfamiliar surroundings, but relaxed almost immediately as her memories returned. She looked up at the timepiece in the corner. It was six thirty; she had slept in. She shifted to get out of bed and cursed the blinding sun streaming through the open window.

She stumbled to the bathroom, shielding her eyes. After a quick shower she brushed her hair and teeth and headed to the dresser. Her selection, a white cotton tee and navy skirt, didn't fit very well. The chest was much too tight and left lumps around the stomach. The skirt was so short it could barely be considered clothing, but it hung loosely around her waist. She slipped on a pair of plain white socks. They squeezed her feet.

Kaia didn't really care; she was used to mis-fitting clothes, though they were usually too big instead of too small. She sprawled on the couch and began to read.

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Ed hesitated with his hand poised to knock on the door of room one-oh-nine. It was nearing nine o'clock. Kaia would surely be awake by now, wouldn't she? He rapped on the door, but there was no response. He tried again to the same result. He took a deep breath and turned the knob. The door swung open on squeaky hinges.

Kaia hung off the edge of the couch, her head pressing into the floor. One leg was flung over the back of the couch while the other dangled over an arm. Ed made a small noise of surprise. He didn't think that Kaia would ever leave herself looking so vulnerable. Then again, she often _looked_ vulnerable when she was actually completely prepared to snap someone's neck. He came up beside her and gathered his courage. He laid a hand on top of the book, on guard for an attack. Kaia hissed at him, but didn't move.

"What do you want?" she growled, not taking her eyes from the book.

"You need to come eat something. Besides, you can't spend all day stuck in here reading." Ed made to take the book, courage slightly heightened by the fact that he was still in one piece. It was a bad move. Kaia jerked her head up towards him, glaring straight at him.

"I will do as I wish. If I remember correctly it's you and your military that needs me, not the other way around." She tugged on the book, emphasizing her point.

"That's where you're wrong. _You_ need _me_ to teach you alchemy," Ed started. He stopped almost immediately upon seeing Kaia's face. She practically leaked anger.

"I could dispose of you just as easily as any of the other _boys_ that have gotten in my way. I would find myself a new teacher. The only reason I'm staying with you is that I've got a point to prove." Kaia stared into his eyes, daring him to retaliate. He took the challenge.

"What do you mean by _boys_? I'm three years older than you!"

"You're eighteen?"

"No, moron. Can't you even do simple math? I'm seventeen."

"You're the one that can't do the math. I'm fifteen. That makes you two years older, not three." Kaia shrugged. "Though I suppose it doesn't really matter. Knowledge doesn't always come with years."

"No, it doesn't matter," Ed snarled. "Because I've got the higher position and the knowledge that comes with it! I've sweat and bled to get where I am now and I'll use that authority in any way I see fit. Now you're going to come down and eat something!" Kaia just smiled in a way that really pissed Ed off.

"Tell you what. I'll come with you, but only to get me further into this system, not because you ordered it." Kaia flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Now would you let go?" She dipped her head slightly in the direction of the book she was holding. Ed was still holding the other end. He complied, his grip loosening. He stepped back only to trip over a small mountain of books that he had failed to notice earlier. He jumped back to his feet, blushing slightly.

"What is all this?" He swept his hands over the scattered tomes.

"They're books. What does it look like?" Kaia stuck a bookmark in the book she was holding.

"I know _that_. I meant why they're all over the floor." Ed couldn't believe that she could be so stupid as to misunderstand such a simple question.

"These are all the books I've read this morning. I'm actually almost done with what we brought back from the library yesterday. These are the ones I've still got to read." She gestured at a good-sized suitcase lying open near the couch. There were only seven books inside. Ed looked back up at Kaia. She wore an amused expression. "I told you I would be done in two days." She grinned. Ed just shook his head.

"Let's get going." Ed turned and made his way out the door. Kaia scrambled out of her strange position on the couch and followed, closing the door behind her. They walked in silence for a while, their footsteps reverberating off the walls. Soon they could hear the bustle of a mess hall full of soldiers. They rounded a corner and stood before a pair of metal doors. Ed pushed them open and strolled in, but Kaia hesitated. Ed glanced back at her.

"Something wrong?" Kaia glared at him, but he could swear that there was a bit of a red tint to her cheeks.

"Of course not! I just wasn't expecting this many people." She pushed past him into the room. He shrugged and led them through the line. They found a place to sit and began to eat. Ed scarfed down his meal with vigor, but Kaia just played with the pastry Ed had forced on her. Ed glanced at her tray. She had only taken a mug of juice besides the pastry.

"No meat?" he asked.

"I don't eat meat," she replied, swirling the juice in its cup.

"Why not?" Kaia's brow twitched.

"I see no reason to tell you that." Ed was getting a bit impatient with her blatant refusal to give him the information he asked for. He decided to drop it for the time being.

"Whatever. I don't really care, but you do have to eat something."

"And what if I don't?" Kaia was ripping bits of the bread off.

"Then I'll force it down your throat." Ed had even stopped eating to meet her gaze, trying to convey that he would actually do it.

"You couldn't." Kaia stared right back at him. Ed opened his mouth to retort, but was interrupted by an obnoxiously loud voice from across the room.

"Ed! You'll never guess which picture of Elysia I have today! It's the dress-with-the-teddy-bears edition! Look! She's even holding that giant teddy bear that Winry got her! She'll be four this winter, you know. Soon she'll be big enough to ride that bike we got her!" A man with dark hair and glasses charged over to them and shoved a photo in Ed's face. Kaia just sat and blinked at them.

"Yeah. She's adorable, Hughes. Now would you get that picture out of my face?" The man drew back and Ed heaved a giant breath. "How many times are you going to show me that picture?" The man wasn't listening. He had been caught up in staring at Kaia who was staring right back. He seemed to be searching her eyes.

"You're Kaia, right? The girl Mustang had to pick up?" he asked. Ed nodded, taking over.

"Yeah," Ed stuffed some more food in his mouth. "Now I've been assigned to take care of her."

"No one needs to take care of—"

"I've heard it before," Ed cut her off. "She's a real pain in the ass though. She won't eat." The last comments were directed to Hughes.

"Now that won't do." Hughes tapped a finger on his chin. "I know just what will get you in the mood! Here's a picture of Elysia blowing out the candles on her birthday cake! She's so sweet I bet you just want to eat her!" Hughes shoved the picture in Kaia's face, but she didn't even flinch. She just pushed his hand away and gave him a look that clearly meant 'you're wasting your time.'

"As much as you may not like or trust us, you have to eat. Please, just give us a chance." Hughes watched Kaia. She didn't move. "Fine. I guess we'll have to go about this in an officer-civilian manner. I'm not leaving until you eat everything on that tray." Hughes tipped back in the chair he had adopted and crossed his arms. Kaia still didn't move.

"You won't get back to your books until you eat it," Ed reminded her. A brief moment of indecision flashed across her features before it was just as quickly replaced by her normally skeptic look. The two men just sat and looked at her for a long while. She clenched her fist on the table, obviously struggling between her desire to read and her aversion to eating.

"Fine," she spat, glancing away. Ed smiled and Hughes let his char tip back to normal. Within moments the pastry and juice were gone.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Hughes adjusted his glasses. Kaia merely glared at him. She picked up the tray and headed off to dispose of it. Ed thanked Hughes for his help and ran off after Kaia.

"Ed!" Hughes called after him. Kaia had already reached the door. "Good luck with her! The stubborn ones are always the most fun to work with!" Ed dropped his tray in the wash bin and took off, pondering Hughes' comment. It certainly hadn't been fun, at least not yet.

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Ed caught up to Kaia and exhaled heavily.

"You should really stop running off like that," he panted. She ignored him. "Why didn't you want to eat?" He thought that she wouldn't answer, but she heaved a breath and looked back at him.

"Why do you think? This is a strange place full of people I don't know. They could have hidden intentions. For all I know that food could have been drugged. Basic military tactics." Ed really hated the way she looked at him. It made him feel transparent, like she could see right through to his deepest secrets. He never felt this way when anyone else looked at him, even the homunculi. Her violet eyes had an underlying fire, an instinct to survive. They reminded Ed a lot of his own. They were both filled with a suffering not meant to be borne by children. Her eyes lingered for a moment more, but broke away. In a second she was halfway down the hall.

Ed hurried after her, trying to dislodge the shaky feeling she had given him. He wasn't sure where they were going, so he just followed Kaia, wondering if she just chose random hallways just for the sake of getting away. It didn't seem like something she would do, but Ed didn't see any other pattern. The door to Mustang's office flashed by, but no one called out to him. Soon he was flat out sprinting to keep up with Kaia. She halted suddenly, almost making Ed collide with her. He stumbled back a few steps and lost his balance, gracefully landing on his butt. Kaia just looked down on him with an eyebrow raised. Ed glanced away. He looked up to the door they had come to. It was room one-oh-nine.

"How did you know how to get back?" Ed pushed himself off the ground.

"I just reversed the route we took this morning." Kaia entered the room, Ed trailing behind.

"Why are we here anyways?" Ed asked as he leaned up on the wall.

"_I'm_ picking up my books before I head over to the colonel's office. I don't really know why _you're_ here." Kaia stacked the scattered books as she spoke.

"Well, in case you've forgotten, I've been assigned to you," Ed started.

"How could I forget?" Kaia muttered. Ed shot her a nasty look, but continued.

"Why do you want to hole up in that bastard's office anyway?" Ed shoved his hands in his pockets. Kaia stopped what she was doing to examine him.

'_Could he _be _any more dense?'_

"It's a military office commanded by a high-up state alchemist." She picked up her eight remaining books. "I'm bound to hear _something_ interesting. Even if nothing out of the ordinary happens I'll start to get a feel for your military and learn even more about Mustang." With that she left, not bothering to close the door. Ed sighed and followed.

Kaia had already disappeared from the hallway when Ed got there, so he took a more roundabout route to the office. He finally arrived and opened the dark wooden door. Kaia had readopted her position in the center of the floor. Her nose was in yet another book. Ed had barely taken a step inside when he felt and arm wrap around his shoulders, pulling him off course. He fought, but lost his balance. He stumbled over and suddenly found a thick book shoved in his face.

He twisted to look at the person holding him. It was Kaia. How had she gotten across the room so quickly? She waved the book around with her left hand. Her right arm was still laced around Ed's neck, pulling him closer as she crouched to his level.

"H—Hey! Get off!" Ed stammered, turning slightly red.

"Oh, shut up. Do you see this? Do you know what it means?" She pressed the book towards him. He took it, keeping the pages open with his thumb. Kaia jabbed at a section with her pinky. Ed was acutely aware of the heat radiating from Kaia's body as she pressed against him. That made it difficult to read, but he forced himself to focus on the text.

'_Transmutation circles in alchemy are constructed following two basic principles. The circle represents the flow of energy, while the matrix allows the alchemist to grasp and redirect that energy.'_

Kaia was looking at him expectantly.

"Do you get it? I can't believe it took me so long to figure this out! I mean, practically every book I've read has _some_ mention of the theory behind circles," Kaia rambled.

"Um, what exactly am I supposed to be getting?" Ed tried to pull away, but her hold was tight. She looked at him and heaved a large sigh like she was tired of dealing with his incompetence.

"People who have seen the Gate can use alchemy without a circle. We just clap our hands. That makes our arms the circle and our body the matrix, right?" Kaia's voice dripped with restrained excitement. Ed nodded, still completely clueless as to where she was headed. "If you manipulate the matrix it changes the function of the circle, right?" Ed nodded again. "It should work the same for us! If we manipulate our matrix we'll be able to deviate from standard transmutations!" Kaia's eyes sparkled and she looked just about ready to burst with excitement. Her arm tightened around his shoulders.

"Hold on. Not all of us are contortionists. Besides, it would be simpler to just draw the circle." Ed most definitely did not like where this conversation was headed.

"I didn't mean your body, moron. Your hands are part of the circle too." Kaia waited for him to process the new information.

"So you're saying that we can make more complex transmutation circles by using hand signs?" It sounded like a stupid idea, but her reasoning was hard to beat.

"Yeah! And I finished the book I was reading this morning, so I've just got seven more. It's ten thirty right now, and I'll be finished with these by noon. After that I can start doing some hands-on work to get accustomed to actual alchemy so I can work on some equations for the hand signs! Then after that I'll move on to some more complex alchemy! Oh my gosh, this is amazing!" Kaia spun around, hands clasped and cheeks flushed with excitement. She promptly fell to the floor and opened the next book. Ed was slightly dazed. He set the book forced upon him down next to Kaia and went over his usual place. Mustang watched him over clasped hands.

"You've got a busy day planned, Fullmetal. Better rest now while you have the chance." The colonel smirked and picked up his pen, but his amusement fled when he saw the huge stack of paperwork waiting for him. He glanced at Kaia. This morning she had walked in like she owned the place, plopped herself down in the middle of the floor, and started to read without saying a word. Multiple people had offered her a chair, but she ignored them, not even bothering to answer. The first word Mustang had heard her say was when Ed came in. Mustang chuckled slightly. This would prove interesting.

The hours passed without commotion. Al came in and sat by his brother. Ed dozed, leaning against the bookcase. The officers worked steadily. Mustang cleaned the windows. Kaia had worked her way to the last of the seven books and was nearing the end of that one. A while later she snapped the book shut, apparently done with it. She gathered the other books and left, the door clicking behind her. Mustang glanced over at Ed. He was still asleep.

"Alphonse? What's wrong with Fullmetal?" Mustang's voice pierced the silence. Ed would have usually trailed after someone who doubted him until they thought differently. He had a desperate need to prove himself and wouldn't like taking this sort of treatment from someone younger than him, especially since that someone was a girl.

"I'm not really sure. He's been awfully tired ever since last night. Do you think it could be tied with bringing Kaia back here?" Worry was evident in Al's voice.

"I don't see why he would be so tired. He used Kaia's energy, not his own. She seems to be very energetic, considering how much energy it must have taken." Mustang tapped his fingers on the desk.

"Maybe the chief opened a floodgate while he was screwing around with her head." Havoc looked up from his paperwork, earning him a glare from Hawkeye.

"I find that very unlikely. People's minds don't have floodgates." Mustang sighed and looked down at his gloved hands. "However, channeling her energy may have been too much for him. I'm not sure how to help other than just letting him rest."

Click. Mustang glanced up from his fingers to see Kaia. She had returned with barely a sound. She had her hands raised, palms out. It was the unanimous sign of peace.

"I will not hurt him," she said simply and strode over to Ed. He was still sleeping heavily. She bent down, her forehead pressing against his and her fingers twisted through his messy braid. The air practically seemed to tense.

"Wha—What are you doing to brother?" Al stammered, reaching out halfway. Mustang halted him with a sharp wave of his hand. He was watching intently, interested by the strange display. The rest of the office followed suit. Kaia's eyes were slightly unfocused like she was looking into something everyone else couldn't see. Ed's eyelids twitched slightly and Kaia pulled away. She kneeled to better see Ed's face.

His eyes flicked open, consciousness returning to him much more quickly than he would have liked. He felt dizzy and out of sorts, like his mind had been sifted through. His blurry vision focused and he saw Kaia crouching before him.

He tried to push himself back, but his flesh arm only brushed feebly against the cushion and he couldn't even move the auto-mail. He felt weak and shaky.

"Hold up, take it easy. Just give yourself a minute to recover." Kaia rose slightly and laid her hands on Ed's face. Her fingers gently probed his temples.

"What are you doing?" Ed murmured. He tried to raise his arm to block her, but it only hovered a few inches from the seat. That began to wear on him, so he allowed it to fall back.

"I'm helping." Kaia continued with her work. Ed felt a presence nagging at the back of his mind. It was like someone was tugging at his defenses, slipping into his deepest thoughts. The being had a strong blue vibe. It wasn't a normal blue either. It was a neon aqua color, tinged with the barest hints of purple near the edges. Lime green flames weaved their way through the center. It throbbed with energy and pulsed steadily. It reminded Ed of a heartbeat.

He felt himself relax. A thought surfaced in his groggy mind.

'_I shouldn't be relaxing. There's someone invading my mind. It's no time to relax…'_

His protests faded. He felt himself slipping into unconsciousness as the presence grew nearer. It gave off a steady heat. Ed basked in the warmth, but scolded himself for doing so. He was practically inviting the strange force in.

The blue throbbing brushed away more of his unstable defenses and continued in. Ed tried to fight it, but it seemed to radiate pure joy. He was involuntarily elated that such a thing had chosen to come into his mind. He wanted nothing more than to throw his gates open and draw the thing in, but his more rational side screamed to drive it out. It was a decision that he wouldn't have to make. The thing drew up closer and Ed felt his emotions bubble up. It would be so easy to accept this incredible presence, but he held himself back. Years of experience taught him not to trust so easily, but it was hard to reject such a thing. It pushed harder, and his consciousness fled. It was unlike the many times he had been knocked out by enemies. He was vaguely reminded of lying on a beach with the sand warming his back and the sun glowing gently on his face. Energy seemed to flow into him, leeched from the warmth. He felt lighter than he had in a long time. He let go.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Kaia drew back. She cradled her head in her hands, then looked back up at Ed. He was asleep, a very faint smile etched upon his lips. She stood and stretched her arms above her head.

"What did you do to brother?" Al asked meekly. She stared down at him. Kaia was tall, so Al was a few inches shorter than her while sitting. Her gaze made him uncomfortable. He shifted a bit and made a small noise. It felt like Kaia could somehow see that he was empty inside. Ed had told him about her eyes, about how they were like the homunculi's, but it was still unnerving to see them peering at you so intensely. Kaia looked like she was debating whether or not to answer, but she sighed and put her hands on her hips.

"He'll wake up in just about ten minutes." She projected her voice so that Mustang could hear. "It appears that he never fully broke off the connection that he made with me when we opened the Gate. His energy has just been seeping out. I closed it." With that she ran her fingers through Ed's bangs again. He smiled unconsciously at her touch. She turned away and retreated to the opposite wall. She leaned up against it, crossed her arms over her chest, and went back to staring intently at Al. Mustang watched her for a few moments, but then voiced the question that had been nagging him.

"Why did you help him?"

"Excuse me?" Kaia didn't take her gaze away from Al.

"Why did you help Fullmetal?"

"He won't be much good as a teacher if all he does is sleep." Mustang regarded her silently. She didn't look at him.

"So you accept him as a teacher?" Kaia still didn't look to Mustang, but her gaze faltered as if she was no longer registering what was in front of her. She hesitated slightly before answering.

"He has given me what I need. I will further evaluate him once I begin my field practice." She sounded more like the teacher than the student. Mustang chuckled. Kaia's head whipped around to look at him. "Why are you laughing?" She was on edge and her tone implied that she was already regretting what she had said. Mustang folded his hands.

"It seems that our fuehrer is more perceptive than I am," he said simply. Kaia opened her mouth to respond, a defiant expression on her face, but there was a sharp intake of breath from the corner. Al had his hands outstretched towards his brother. Ed was blinking sleepily and brushing his hair out of his face.

"Are you all right brother?" Al sounded worried.

"Yeah. I actually feel pretty good, in a weird way. Like all shaky, but I'm not tired anymore." He stood and stretched, yawning hugely. Then he noticed Kaia's stare. "What?" he asked, arms still in the air from his stretch.

"You're feeling better now?" she asked tentatively. Ed was slightly taken aback.

"Yeah… What did you do anyways?" He let his arms drop.

"I helped." Ed shot her a dirty look, but she just laughed. "There must have been a residual connection from when we went through the Gate together. To put it simply, you were leaking energy. I sealed your mind and gave you a bit more energy to make up for what you lost." Ed just stared. He blinked a few times.

"And…How did you know how to do that?"

"Remember how I told you that I'm really sensitive to other people? Like the feeling you get when someone's watching you? It's a part of that. I've always been able to do this. I'm not really sure what to call it. Telepathy? I don't know. I can just…feel… other people's minds. If I'm close enough I can hear their thoughts too, but it's not really _hearing_ their thoughts. It's more like _feeling_ their emotions and reactions. I can usually only do this when I touch them, though." Kaia fidgeted under Ed's gaze as she explained. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She blushed.

"It's not really common to find a telepath," Mustang put in.

"Whether it's common or not, it doesn't really matter to me. I get why the fuehrer wants her though." Ed paused. "I'm starving! We can start up with your training after lunch." Kaia brightened at Ed's words. She followed him out of the room, bouncing questions off the back of his head. He ignored her, but Kaia didn't seem to mind. She would just start up with something new with barely a pause. The door slammed behind them.

"Colonel? Will brother be all right?" Al's voice quaked.

"I'm sure he will be. Mustang smirked and picked up his pen.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

The office was disturbed not long after. The pair came up the stairs, Ed running for his life and Kaia bounding after him, shouting about some alchemic theory that no one wanted to even attempt to understand. Ed slammed his hands on Mustang's desk.

"We need somewhere to practice!" he demanded. Mustang just looked up idly.

"You just now thought of that?"

"Cut the crap."

"Fine, calm down." Mustang held his hands up in a mock surrender. "Luckily the fuehrer thought of that too. You remember the room that the practicals were in for your state alchemy exam?" Ed nodded. "The fuehrer had some raw materials put in it for you. He said you're welcome to use whatever you need." Ed nodded again.

"That's awesome! Let's get going!" Kaia grabbed Ed's wrist and began towing him towards the door.

"Hold on." Ed pulled his hand away from her, a serious expression taking the place of his usual fire. He retreated to Al who was still sitting on the bench. Ed crouched down next to him.

"How am I supposed to teach her about all is one and one is all?" Ed whispered into the space that Al's ear would have been located. He cast a glance over at Kaia. She was standing where Ed had left her, head slightly cocked to one side. "I have to teach her before she starts learning to actually do alchemy. She can't repeat our mistakes, but how am I supposed to do it?"

"You're a prodigy, brother. I'm sure you'll figure something out. Maybe you should try to talk her through it. Just steer her in the right direction. Make sure that she gives you the answers, not the other way around. If she doesn't get it you should only give her little hints though." Al tried to keep his voice low.

"That's just the problem. If she doesn't get it she'll just keep learning and I won't be able to help it, but if I just tell her then she won't truly have learned. With what I know about her she won't pursue it like we had to."

"But she's smart just like you, brother. I'm sure she'll understand. Maybe some sort of demonstration would help. The ants are what made you understand, after all."

"But she doesn't eat meat…"

"That's not what I meant, brother."

"Yeah, I know, but what am I supposed to use for…" Ed stood up abruptly. "Hawkeye?" This time his voice rang through the room. The officer looked up from the book she was reading at her desk. "Do you have something that Kaia could swim in?"

"Swimming?" Kaia squeaked.

"Really, brother? I don't see how swimming will—"

"Your job is to teach her, not take her swimming, Fullmetal."

"This will help me teach her! So do you have something she could borrow, Hawkeye?" Ed looked to the female officer, brushing off Mustang's comment. She thought for a moment before closing her book.

"I have something that could work." Ed grinned.

"Great! What are we waiting for?" Ed's mood had taken a surprisingly happy turn, mostly due to the fact that he had (supposedly) figured out a way to teach Kaia about the flow. Hawkeye stood and turned to Mustang.

"With your permission, sir, I will accompany them back to my home to equip Kaia with the proper attire. I will then transport them to the area chosen for training." She bowed low. Mustang drummed his fingers on the desk.

"Where will you go for this training, Fullmetal?" he asked, tapping out an unsteady rhythm on the dark wood.

"We're going to the river. The one to the east." Ed rapidly made a decision. The east river was the most quickly moving one near central. It was also only about a mile from the city, so they could walk back if it came down to that.

"I haven't got the slightest idea of how swimming in a river will help you train Kaia, but I don't see how it could hurt. I'll send someone to pick you up in three hours." Mustang glanced at his pocket watch, closing it with a sharp click. "It's one o'clock right now. That gives you until four to do whatever it is that you're trying to do."

"I know how to count, thanks." Ed was already backing towards the door, eager to get out of the office.

"You have your assignment, Lieutenant. Dismissed." Mustang gave a slight wave of his hand. Hawkeye led the two teens out the door, Kaia still looking mystified and Ed with a determined glint in his eyes. The door slammed behind them.

"The chief just wants to see her in a bathing suit," Havoc snorted, lighting up another cigarette. Mustang shrugged.

"She is awfully cute."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

The car ride was silent. Hawkeye had commissioned a military-issue taxi car because the three wouldn't have fit on her motorcycle. She drove, her eyes fixed on the road in front of her. Kaia had taken to staring out the window, muttering to herself. Ed continued to add details to his lesson plans.

Soon they arrived at Hawkeye's house. She lived in a modest apartment building. It was white-washed cement, but still retained a look of comfort. Hawkeye fiddled with the lock on door 12G and led the pair in. Her house had standard white walls and polished hardwood floors. The room they had entered seemed to be a sort of living room. It was themed around a pastel yellow couch and a small wooden coffee table displaying several books. A clock ticked somewhere in the shadows. The trio walked through a small kitchenette. Sun streamed through the window and it smelled strongly of bleach. Hawkeye gestured at a small white table and chairs to match. It had a checkered tablecloth of the same yellow as the couch.

"Sit, Edward. We'll be out in just a minute." Ed followed her instructions while Hawkeye led Kaia into the next room. He peered out the window. It overlooked several children playing in a shabby garden. It was peaceful, and Ed relaxed into the chair.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Kaia followed Hawkeye through a doorway into what she assumed to be the bedroom. Hawkeye rummaged through a dresser, pulling out several articles which she handed to Kaia.

"Here. Try these on." Kaia took the clothes and began to pull her shirt over her head. Hawkeye averted her eyes, slightly surprised.

"What?" Kaia paused in order to look at the lieutenant.

"You could have used the bathroom." Hawkeye didn't look up.

"But what's the point? This works just as well. I mean it's just a body, after all." Kaia pulled her shirt off the rest of the way and fiddled with the buttons on her skirt. Soon she was redressed in the new clothes. The light blue tank top hung a bit loosely on her shoulders and the black short-shorts were quite baggy, but it fit.

"Perfect! Thanks a bunch, Hawkeye." Kaia beamed up at the officer. She gathered her clothes and pushed back through the door. She squealed when she saw what was on the other side. Ed was hunched over a small dog, scratching behind its ears. Kaia dropped her clothes back on the ground and hurried over.

"Ohmygosh he's so _cute_!" she oozed, stroking the dog's black fur.

"His name's Black Hayate," Hawkeye said as she picked up the abandoned clothes. She put them in a paper grocery bag and set the package down on the table.

"We should get going," she added. "I need to make sure that the colonel is actually doing his paperwork back at headquarters." Kaia reluctantly stood and took the bag of clothes. Ed followed Hawkeye out the door, Kaia trailing behind.

They were soon back in the car. Ed gave Hawkeye some directions to get to a spot on the river that he thought would suit his purposes. Kaia was staring out the window again. The city around them became less populated as they neared the outskirts of town. Kaia turned away from the window.

"Hawkeye? Would it be okay if I came to visit you sometimes? Like, to see Black Hayate and all." She tacked on the last bit hastily, as if she needed to give a reason. Hawkeye nodded once.

"I don't see why that would be a problem." Kaia grinned and looked back to the window. They continued along in silence. About ten minutes later they reached the place that Ed had specified. The two teens got out and thanked Hawkeye for her assistance. At least Kaia did. Ed was busy scouting in the trees. Kaia watched as the car pulled away and disappeared from sight.

Ed crashed through the brush and emerged, now only wearing his boxers and a black tank top. He motioned for Kaia to follow. He struggled through the trees, Kaia sliding easily through the foliage. They finally made it to the other side. Kaia took in a sharp breath.

The river was huge. She couldn't even see the other side. In fact, if she hadn't been previously informed that it was a river she would have thought it to be an ocean. A decently strong current lapped up against the shore, vaguely reminding her of a lake she once stole away to in one of her many sleepless nights. She looked up to see Ed watching her carefully. She glanced down, anywhere but his deep stare. Her eyes followed the lines of his auto-mail arm. She was about to ask how he intended to swim without getting it wet, but he splashed into the river, submerging himself up to his shoulders. Considering his height, it wasn't terribly deep. Kaia didn't move.

"Come on! You're not afraid of the water, are you?" Ed yelled. Kaia blushed slightly.

"Of course I'm not!" She threw off her sandals and splashed in after him. She moved awkwardly through the rushing liquid as if she was unaccustomed to such forces. Ed looked at her suspiciously. She seemed to be having trouble staying grounded even though the water just barely grazed her chest. He opened his mouth to ask about her uncharacteristic behavior, but she cut him off.

"What about your auto-mail? How can you get it wet?" She reached out to brush her hand against the slick metal.

"I don't know. It can stand the water; I just need to dry it out really well afterwards." He tossed his braid over his shoulder. "I like to limit the exposure though, so let's get started." He started to wade downstream.

"Gladly, but what exactly are we starting?" Kaia stumbled after him, bare feet sliding on the algae-covered rocks. Ed didn't answer. He kept moving. He had directed Hawkeye to a place that was a few minutes walk from where he actually wanted to be because the place they were going was one of his favorite hide-aways. It was out in plain sight, but no one ever came there, and he wanted to keep it that way. The pair trudged through the water for a few more minutes, but Ed eventually stopped, holding his hand out to halt Kaia. A small cave lay in a particularly mountainous section of the shore, out of the direct current of the river. It had a small opening, but was very spacious inside. A sandy outcrop led to the entrance, and a small tide washed over the smooth silt, very much like an ocean or lake.

Ed sloshed over to the lip of the cave, sitting just outside in the sand, now submerged up to his chin. He gestured for Kaia to join him. She sat down slightly below him in order to let the water also touch her chin, just in case the water level was important to the training. Ed was slightly miffed at her perception, but also grudgingly glad that he didn't have to direct her to do so. It would have meant accepting that his height was…less than average.

They sat in silence, letting the water wash over them. Ed watched Kaia carefully, but she never let her gaze drop from his face. She had her hands deeply burrowed in the sand, but let her body rock with the current.

"Why do you sit like that?" Ed asked, nodding his head in her general direction.

"Well, if I sat like you do I would be wasting energy." Ed looked down at his submerged body. He had his hands and feet firmly planted. He pushed down with his core muscles to make sure that his butt wouldn't move. He was resisting the current.

"What do you mean?" Ed didn't see anything wrong with his method. Kaia snorted. "What?" Ed demanded.

"The flow of the river is greater than you. This force is unrelenting because it's the natural order of things. If you think about it, this river could drown us at any moment. It has the power to, but it won't because there would be no meaning to it. If it drowned you then it would have to drown everyone just to make it fair, and it could do it too. There's really no use fighting against it. All you'll do is drain yourself and then when you've given up all your energy to some meaningless cause, poof, you're dead. Why give up so much to something that doesn't even have a purpose? If you just relax a little and let the current take you as it will you loose a lot less energy, but if you let go completely you'll just be swept away. That's why you need to ground yourself, stake out your own place. It's all a balance, you see. There's an underlying force to it all." Ed gawked at her. Here was this girl spouting things that he had only learned through years of effort.

"It's just a river though, right?" Ed said nonchalantly.

"In this case. If you think about it the whole world's kind of like this river. Everything has a force, a flow. If you try to defy it you get hammered down, but if you just let go you'll be swept away with no hope of return. The whole world has to operate under this order." Kaia let her feet be tugged away by the current, but pulled them back again.

"All right, how about this. Tell me what you think about the phrase 'all is one and one is all.'" Ed fixed his eyes on her. She was staring off into the distance, obviously deep in thought.

"Once again, it's like the river. If you think of the all as being the world, or the worlds, and of the one being a single person, then it's basically the same concept. One single person can't go against the flow. They have to be born, live, and die just like everyone else. There's no changing it, no matter how hard you try. You can resist, but the flow will just keep taking from you without giving anything back. At the same time, there would be no flow without all the little 'ones.' We all have to be here in order for the world to exist as it does, so that means that each one of us is significant. The 'all' controls us, but we control the all." She smiled and turned to him. "I think I see why you brought me here. It's helped. A lot." She fixed him under her piercing gaze and Ed could start to feel himself going pink. He stood, the water running off him in sheets, and transmuted some steps into the rocky shore. He started up them and Kaia followed.

When they reached the top Ed transmuted all the water off himself. He could have sworn that Kaia's eyes were going to bulge out of her head.

"Wow! That's amazing!" she spewed. "Let me try!" She was about to clap her hands together, but Ed caught her wrist.

"This is pretty simple, but there are a lot simpler things that we need to cover first. I don't want you to accidentally blow yourself up before I even get a chance to prove that you can't transmute me to be taller." With another clap of his hands Ed transmuted all the water off Kaia.

"Yeah, we'll see about that, pipsqueak. Now, I think it's time to start up with some of those 'simpler things' you mentioned earlier." The pair, still arguing about their competition, began to go through the first steps of practical alchemy.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Havoc pulled his car up next to the spot that Hawkeye had told him Ed and Kaia would be. The teens were nowhere in sight. He parked and stepped out of the vehicle, lighting up yet another cigarette. He strolled down the shore, scanning the water. He was sure that Ed wouldn't let them drown, the kid wasn't _that_ stupid, but if he pissed Kaia off bad enough… that was one hell of a bruise on his face the day they had returned from that mission, but Havoc wasn't too worried. Ed certainly pushed things way past where they _should_ be pushed, but he could defend himself well and he _was_ the more advanced alchemist.

A shout echoed from up ahead. Havoc quickened his pace. More shouts and a flash of alchemic light. Now he was jogging. An ear-splitting shriek filled the air and he was sprinting.

"Kaia! Kaia! Stop!" That was Ed's voice! Havoc rounded a small curve and gasped at what awaited him. The place was an alchemic battleground, drenched in water, strange protrusions from the rock, and all sorts of strange leftover elements from interrupted transmutations. Kaia was currently balanced on top of the point of a _very_ tall rock spire jutting from the side of the cliff. Ed was directly below, shouting up at her.

"You can't just go around transmuting whatever you feel like! Alchemy can't change physics!" Ed had his hands cupped around his mouth to let his voice travel better. Kaia clapped her hands once again and pressed them to the rock beneath her. It morphed until she was hanging upside-down, feet clamped down inside the rock itself. Her hair hung wildly around her rapidly reddening face as the blood rushed to her head.

"I calculated this all perfectly. That is, assuming your gravity is the same as mine! It seems to be working, so I'd say that they're similar enough! There can only be a .2 difference for this to be working right now. And I'm not doing whatever I want. _This_ is doing whatever I want!" She clapped her hands once again and lifted up to touch the rock holding her. A blue light traveled from her fingertips, down the rock spire, through the ground, and to Ed's feet. In a flash he found himself suspended just as Kaia was. He flailed wildly, spouting explicatives. Then Kaia seemed to notice Havoc's arrival.

"Oh! Havoc, sir! Pleased to meet you and have some tea! I hear it's quite nice by the ocean at this time of year! Tell me, what brings you to venture to this faraway land in such a strange outfit?" The blood was obviously going to Kaia's brain. She was laughing like mad and swinging from side to side.

"I've been sent to bring you two back to HQ," Havoc said, surveying the damage they had caused. By this time Ed had freed himself and was making his way over to get Kaia down.

"Is it four o'clock already?" Kaia seemed to deflate. Ed helped her back onto the ground.

"What are we going to do about all this?" Ed gestured to the mess around them. Kaia grinned.

"Worry not! I'll take care of it!" She clapped her hands together and laid them on the ground. The air flashed with a blue alchemic light and when the smoke cleared all was back as it had been, if not a little bit flatter. Kaia brushed her hands together. Havoc's mouth hung open and Ed just shook his head.

"Let's get going, shall we?" Kaia prompted.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

The car ride back wasn't at all like the others Ed had been on with Kaia. Mostly due to the fact that she _wouldn't shut up_. She giggled and babbled about all sorts of alchemic mumbo-jumbo that she had read about. By the time they reached headquarters Havoc's brain was thoroughly fried and Ed was pissed.

Ed stomped through the office door flanked by an ever persistent Kaia. Havoc sat down at his desk and attempted to sign a report with a bottle cap. He just looked at the paper in confusion. Ed, for at least the third time that day, slammed his hands on Mustang's desk. Al sweatdropped in the corner.

"What is it now, Fullmetal?" Mustang asked, bored.

"You know damn well what it is," Ed growled.

"Yeah? Enlighten me."

"Her!" Ed pointed at Kaia. "Have you seen her do alchemy?" Mustang silently shook his head. "She can still only do some basic transmutations, but there's way too much power behind it. That's not normal. She's learning at an exceptionally high rate—"

"What do you expect from someone who has their nose in a book all day?"

"I didn't expect what she had! She only used a basic transmutation circle and she moved a fifty freaking ton slab of rock, with trees attached! Not to mention she moved it right into a hillside, leaving it dangling there for well over a minute before she finished melding it in!"

"That _is_ unusual." Ed was surprised to hear the older man agreeing with him. "But what did you really expect? The fuehrer cared enough about her to have her dragged through the universes and specially trained by a state alchemist. You aren't going to tell me you were expecting some run-of-the-mill girl, are you?" Ed blushed slightly.

"She looks like a regular girl," he muttered. He looked over at Kaia. She was tormenting a cornered Al with her theories on chimeras.

"Looks like you better get her off your brother." Mustang held out a small stack of paper and a pen. "She said something about wanting to work on some equations for her hand signs," Mustang said in response to Ed's questioning look. Ed took the stack and headed over to the girl in question.

"Hey! Kaia!" Ed called. She turned around. He waved the papers at her. "You still want to work out those equations?" She beamed and grabbed the sheets offered to her, but paused, looking back at Al.

"Are you human?" she asked. Al would have inhaled sharply if he had an actual body. "I mean, you seem human, but you're not… normal."

"I—I don't—what I mean is—" Al stammered. Ed was slightly stunned. He didn't think that she would notice so quickly.

"If you don't want to tell me you don't have to," Kaia interrupted. She turned on her heel and plopped down in her customary spot on the floor. She spread the papers out and set to work. Al sighed. That was way too close.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

About three hours later Kaia recapped her pen. Ed had been idly reading one of the books Kaia had recently finished and Al was helping Fuery with some of his work. Kaia gathered her papers and strode over to where Ed was sitting. She smacked him over the head with the pages.

"Hey!" he protested, but she just sat down next to him.

"Look," she commanded as she held out the paper. Ed looked. He sifted through the pages. It was really complex stuff, hard even for him to follow. Her reasoning was, once again, flawless. Ed was still hesitant about the whole idea, and he made sure to let her know about it.

"Are you really serious about this whole hand sign thing?" He yawned, glancing over at the clock. It was seven o'clock.

"Of course I'm serious! I wouldn't do all these computations if I wasn't!" Kaia looked ready to smack him. Ed held up his hands.

"Okay! I'm starving…" Ed didn't need prompting from Mustang to know that it was once again his job to bully Kaia into eating.

After a generally uneventful dinner the pair made their way over to the room that had been set up for Kaia's training. It looked just as it had during Ed's exams. The transported elements sat on their white board, waiting to be used. They settled into the steady rhythm of work.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Ed and Kaia were loudly storming through the hallways on their way back to their rooms. It was one o'clock in the morning and Ed was irritable from their late training. Kaia's smug tone didn't help much.

"I _told_ you it would work!" she mused.

"Shut the hell up." So her idea with the hand signs had worked, big deal. They _were_ awfully convenient and the circles were a lot simpler when done with hands, but did it really matter? Of course not, or at least not to Ed. They finally made it up to the rooms and Kaia opened her door, flicking on the light. She gasped sharply. Ed poked his head in.

On the table lay a new pile of books. They had been stacked in neat military rows so were probably put there by Hawkeye. Ed sighed. Kaia was already reaching for the closest one. He smacked her hand away. She looked at him pathetically.

"It's already one in the morning. You need to sleep. Get into bed now." Kaia made as if to whine. "I mean it." She pouted and started to pull her shirt off. Ed looked down, screwing his eyes shut. His face was already turning all shades of red.

"What are you doing?" His hands tightened around the back of the couch.

"I'm going to bed, just like you said to," Kaia responded coolly.

"You could have given me some warning," Ed grumbled. Kaia just laughed. Ed heard the bathroom light click on and the sink running, but he kept his eyes closed. A few minutes later the light clicked off again. Her feet padded over to him. He cracked one eye and was relieved to see her in a hospital-issue nightgown.

"Bed. Now," he commanded. She scowled, but turned and climbed in. Ed walked over to the door.

"You're not going to give me a goodnight kiss?" Kaia asked innocently from the bed. Ed's face started turning red again.

"No! What would make you think I would want to kiss you?" His voice had risen at least an octave.

"Gosh, I was just kidding. Sorry to get you so worked up." Her tone was mocking. Ed laid his hand on the light switch.

"I'm serious. Don't try to get up and read. I'm going to have Al check on you later on."

"Whatever loverboy." Ed blushed more deeply and flicked off the light, shutting the door. He entered his own room, not noticing Al in the corner. The armor observed him come in and collapse onto the bed, sighing heavily. When he checked the boy was already asleep. The armor chuckled as it tucked Ed in.

"You've finally found someone as high energy as you are, brother."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

**Yay! Finally done with this chapter!**

**Ed: It's about time!**

**I'm sorry! I started to write this on the day that I posted the last chapter and things just kept coming up! I'm writing this at 2:30 AM because of my dedication to everyone!**

**Kaia: That and she doesn't feel like sleeping.**

**I know it doesn't make up for the lateness, but accept the long chapter as an apology. And by the way, just because there have been day one and day two chapters doesn't mean that we're going to go through the whole week of training. I just had too many events to squeeze into one day and still have it make sense. This will be the last chapter like this, I promise.**

**And now, I need a little help from all the veteran fanfic-ers. **

**Hi.**

**My name is (censored).**

**I am a newbie.**

**I am not familiar with some of the fanfiction terminology.**

**Care to set me straight?**

**The terms that I don't know are breaking the fourth wall, OOC, AU, and Royai.**

**Al: We would all really appreciate it if you could help the authoress out.**

**Mustang: Because none of us know because we are all controlled by the authoress, so only have her knowledge.**

**Kaia: This random shiny tiara goes to anyone who can clear up one of these terms.**

**Also, I'm really hating the summary for this story. Does anyone want to take a stab at making a better one? Just drop suggestions in the review box.**

**Ed: As always, the authoress is freaking dying for reviews. Take pity on the rest of us and make her happy.**

**Al: It just makes her day when there's a new review. Remember: a happy authoress=more chapters.**

**~Click the shiny review button to be added to the sacred guild of the **

**Precious Kittens~**


	8. The Challenge

**Chapter Eight!**

**Al: You have an awful lot of energy today.**

**No, I'm just trying to update again before we go camping tomorrow. I'll only be coming back Tuesday night, but hopefully I'll have chapter nine written out so I just have to type it and proofread.**

**Ed: You actually proofread?**

**Of course I do! It's part of any quality story! And this is a tip for any other writers out there, fanfiction or not. READ YOUR STORY OUT LOUD. It sounds really silly, but it makes you catch a lot of things you wouldn't have otherwise.**

**Kaia: And that's been our writing tip for the day! *cue cheesy music***

**Mustang: Let's get moving. You're wasting my time.**

**Hawkeye: Calm down, sir. You don't want to make the authoress mad like last time.**

**Mustang: *shudders at the memory***

**~The Precious Kittens~**

**Geororo- Thanks for all the help. And more than that thanks for the wondrous encouragement. It really is amazing to get some feedback on my work. You rock my socks.**

**Watergoddesskasey- Mantiox chawe-Achi (Baja Verapaz, Guatemala)**

**Kaia: Completed!**

**T.V. Host: Now let's get on with the show!**

**Everyone: *stares***

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**Chapter Eight: The Challenge**

The next few days passed in a haze. Kaia always had her nose in a book. The only times she didn't was when she practiced with Ed. Her alchemy improved exponentially with each passing hour. She became lost in the knowledge of the science that made you feel like you were magic.

Everyone around the office became used to her presence. They learned to just step over her instead of offer her a chair. They also learned to stay out of it when Ed had to interrupt her to eat. They were safer that way. It was during a typical reading session that she deviated from her standard of ignoring everyone's existence.

"Ed?" she asked, looking up from a particularly thick book. He nearly jumped. It was very uncommon for Kaia to even pause while reading.

"Yeah?"

"Have you done any research into something called the Philosopher's Stone?"

The room held its breath. Ed froze, unsure of how to answer. Al whimpered next to him. Ed glanced down, trying to avoid Kaia's searching eyes. He quickly made a decision.

"I've done research. It's a worthless cause. You're better off just dropping it." He turned away. Kaia didn't drop her gaze.

"You're lying. I'm sure you have your reasons though." She just went back to her book. Ed blushed slightly.

"Why did you say that brother?" Al whispered.

"There's no need for her to get caught up in the stone. There's a reason it's called the Devil's Errand. It's better for her to just leave it alone." Ed spoke quickly as if he was trying to cover something up.

"O-oh, so you're trying to protect her? You really do like her, don't you brother?" If armor could smirk Al would be doing so.

"I am not! She should just keep her nose out of places she doesn't belong!" Ed blushed more deeply. Al made a disbelieving noise.

"Ed?" Kaia cut off Ed's disgruntled reply. "Can we go practice now?" She had finished her book. Ed glanced over at the clock. It was nine thirty.

"It's a bit early to start the practicals though, isn't it?"

"Today is the fourth day. I need to practice a few more things before I transmute you taller tomorrow."

"But tomorrows not the deadline—" Ed started. Kaia shrugged.

"Why should you care?" She stacked her books. Mustang stood, drawing their attention.

"I'm going to come observe," he stated simply. "Does anyone else care to join me?" The whole office immediately raised their hands, excluding Hawkeye. They were all anxious to be away from their paperwork. Everyone walked out the door, Hawkeye trailing grudgingly behind.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Once they had all trudged out to the training ground Ed and Kaia took their places among the materials. Kaia turned to the rest who were standing awkwardly on the sidelines.

"So what did you want to see?" she asked, hands on her hips.

"Nothing in particular. Why don't you surprise me?" Mustang shoved his hands in his pockets. Kaia thought briefly, but her face lit up with a glow that could almost be described as demonic.

"What are you planning on doing?" Ed asked warily. Kaia started gesturing wildly.

"You know! The one with the fire and the water on the air with the swirlies!" Kaia pointed to each element as she said it and twirled around in excitement. Something seemed to register with Ed and his eyes widened. He backed off the board.

"What's she doing, Fullmetal?" Mustang's voice had a hint of worry. Ed didn't spare him a glance. Kaia had started her work.

She scuffed a patch of dry dirt with the ball of her foot while making one of her newly figured hand signs. She had her hands clasped with the tips her index fingers pressed together, curving her fingers slightly. She pulled her hands apart and gently laid a palm on the space that she had brushed with her foot. Flames erupted from the point, billowing high into the sky. A clap resounded and Kaia reached her hands into the air. Water vapor condensed near her and began to fall. Another clap and Kaia stretched her hands out into the air once again. The air itself seemed to obey her. It shifted, resisting the water and forming it into a giant ball with a diameter of at least twenty feet. The entire thing encased the still blazing flames. Kaia clapped her hands together again, the air whipping into shape at her command. The ball rose, fire expanding within it. One more clap. She stretched her arms up to it, letting her fingers graze the water. It froze, ridged ice as clear as glass. The fire still raged inside, fed by oxygen allowed in from a small hole at the top. The entire thing was supported by a stick-thin fragment of rock, obviously very dense. Kaia inhaled deeply and sighed.

She was exhilarated. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and her eyes sparkled with a kind of happiness that only Ed was accustomed to seeing on her. She was only like this when she used alchemy. It was the only time she was truly happy.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Ed had gravitated towards the colonel, hands jammed deep in his pockets. The creation roiled fifty feet off the ground. You could have fit at least ten Armstrongs inside the frozen sphere and the fire waged a ferocious war against the ice, but neither side triumphed.

"Yes. Very impressive." For once Mustang was serious in his praise. Kaia beamed at his words.

"I wouldn't mind seeing a little bit of an alchemic duel, if you felt like doing it," Havoc offered. Kaia looked over to Ed. He seemed to shrink before her.

"No way… I couldn't…" Ed muttered.

"You couldn't _what_, Fullmetal?" Mustang teased. "You couldn't beat her?" Ed's face turned bright red. He was fuming with anger. He turned on Mustang, arms flailing.

"I couldn't hit a girl! Don't jump to stupid conclusions like that! Of course I could beat her!" Ed lied through his teeth. Kaia's expression hardened.

"And why can't you hit a girl?" she hissed.

"It's well known that girls are just weaker than boys—" Ed was cut off as a fist slammed into his face. An infuriated Kaia was attached to that fist.

"Girls can do anything boys can! Fight me and I'll prove it!" She was seething.

"I'm not going to hit a girl." Kaia's eyes widened. She hoisted Ed off the ground by his collar and started hitting him over and over in the face with her free hand.

"Fight—me—or—I'll—kill—you—moron!" She accentuated each word with a blow. Ed reached out to grab her hand, but she punched through. She dropped him on the ground. His lip was bleeding and his cheek was starting to swell. "Well?" Kaia demanded.

"You won't kill me." Ed didn't look up at her. Kaia paused, but regained her attitude almost immediately.

"There are things a lot worse than death," she threatened.

"You won't do that either." Ed still didn't raise his gaze. Kaia turned sharply and everyone winced, expecting her to pull out some extreme form of torture. Her brow twitched and she dissolved.

"_Please!_ Please please please please please please _please_! Of course I wouldn't do that, I just really need the practice and this would be a great opportunity to see some real alchemy and I just really really really really need you to help! I'll even fix up your face! I can duplicate the cells surrounding the injuries and replace the damaged ones and it'll be good as new I promise!" Kaia rambled on, squirming. Ed looked up.

"Duplicate the cells? That's human alchemy. It's impossible."

"No, it's completely possible and logical too! It hasn't been too long since the injuries were sustained, so all the original components are still there in the damaged cells. All you have to do is copy the structure from the undamaged cells and use the material in the damaged ones to recreate some new cells! They replace the damaged ones and take up the space. It's all really efficient."

"Fine. If you prove that you can actually do this 'healing alchemy' then I'll fight with you." Ed got to his feet. Kaia spun around.

"Yay! You won't be disappointed, just give me a minute!" Kaia started messing with her hands. "I haven't practiced the hand signs enough, so they don't come as easily as I would like." Eventually she sorted herself out. Her right pinky stuck up between her left index and middle fingers. Her right ring, middle, and index fingers lay between her left index finger and thumb, right index finger sticking up. Her right thumb lay on top of her left thumb. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. Her eyes flicked open and she reached out to Ed. She cradled his face in her hands.

A puff of alchemic smoke dissipated to reveal an unmarked Ed. All signs of injury were gone. Everyone was silent.

"Well look at that," Mustang said. Havoc whistled appreciatively.

"See? I told you it would work! Now we get to fight!" Kaia bubbled. She skipped back onto the training field. Ed followed numbly. He _had_ made a promise. They both took up their customary fighting stances. Armstrong stepped out to referee the competition.

"This is a match of well-trained alchemists," he started.

"Hear that? He thinks I trained you well," Ed gloated.

"Shut up." Kaia shot him a nasty look and returned to listening to Armstrong.

"In the red corner we have Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist and Hero of the People! In the blue corner we have Kaia…um…Kaia! The uh…not-yet-state-certified alchemist! Now let this match begin under the jurisdiction of Alex Louis Armstrong! The art of coaching such battles has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations!" Armstrong's shirt had randomly disappeared and he was striking all sorts of ridiculous body-builder poses, his muscles bulging.

"Does that mean we can start?" Kaia asked. Mustang flicked his hand at them.

"Begin," he signaled. Quick as a flash Ed had transmuted a huge stone hand out to grab Kaia. She pushed up a giant wall to block it just as quickly. Rock met rock and by the time the dust cleared Kaia was standing in the center of a flat stretch of dirt, hands held up. She glanced at Ed.

"How many times are you going to try that trick before you realize it doesn't work on me?" She grinned manically and clapped her hands together. Alchemically-created lighting flashed after Ed, tearing up the ground.

"What are you trying to do, kill me?" Ed bellowed. Another clap resounded in the open space. Ed found himself pushed down under at least two tons of rushing water. His lungs starved for air and his body screamed out against the pressure. Finally it was relieved.

"Act quickly, shrimp! One move could be your last!" Kaia was obviously enjoying herself far too much.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE COULD DISA—GRAAAH!" Ed screamed as Kaia brushed her hands together and clapped, sending mass explosions his way. He sprinted through the trees, trying desperately to stay out of reach. The tip of his braid was smoking. (A/N I just got a really weird image of his hair with a pipe sticking out of it. I think I need a life…)

"You'll have to do better than that, Ed!" Kaia called joyfully. Another clap sent a stone giraffe galloping after him, its eyes flaming. The military members gawked. She was toying with him, plain and simple. Ed couldn't even find the time to transmute. He was too busy running. The fight continued like this for a while longer until Mustang found the pity to call Kaia off. That was after he finished laughing, of course. Ed would have his fill of Mustang's remarks later.

The two teens rejoined the assembled officers. Ed was drenched, singed, panting, and looked on the verge of collapse. Kaia was absolutely giddy. She span around in circles, babbling about the various principles she used in her alchemy. Ed shot her a deathly glare.

"Drop it…already…" he panted.

"Drop what?" Kaia paused to look at him. Ed didn't have the energy to respond. Instead he collapsed, not caring what everyone else thought of him. He was exhausted.

"Ed?" Kaia said his name. He didn't respond. "Ed!" she said a bit louder.

"Whaddaya want?" he grumbled.

"Now that there are plenty of witnesses here I wanted to make it official. I respect you as an alchemist!" She pointed dramatically at him. Ed looked at her sleepily.

"Are you making fun of me?"

"No! I mean it in all seriousness!" She sounded serious too.

"Well, good for you." Ed turned away and folded his arms over his head. Kaia's eyes sparked and she opened her mouth, probably to yell at him for his obvious disinterest in her respect.

"How is it that you know alchemy so well after just a few days?" Mustang interrupted. "After all, Fullmetal's been studying all his life and you beat him almost effortlessly."

"Screw you," Ed said, his voice muffled from the dirt he currently had his head shoved in. Kaia looked thoughtful.

"You know…I'm not really sure. It feels like I'm learning something that I knew a long time ago, but that's impossible. Alchemy doesn't exist in my world, and I most definitely would remember learning it. Still…It doesn't really matter, does it? I mean, I've learned what I need to and that's good, right?" Kaia sounded uncertain, like the question really bothered her.

"I'm sure it doesn't matter. Why don't we all go back in and get some lunch?" Mustang willed his voice to conceal his anxious curiosity. This seemed to reconcile Kaia. Ed perked up at the mention of food. They all headed inside to eat, Ed plagued by Mustang's snide remarks. He vowed to get Kaia back for this.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Kaia patiently waited for everyone to finish their lunches. Ed was, once again, scarfing down food like he hadn't eaten in weeks. Kaia watched him, fiddling with a small string of beads around her wrist.

"What are those Kaia? I haven't seen you wearing them before." Al always tried to make small talk to make up for Ed's rudeness. He could feel the bread he had "eaten" getting stuck in his knee joint. It was tedious to clean, but it was necessary considering that Kaia didn't know about his true form.

"This is the only thing I had when the people at social services found me on their doorstep. I don't know where they came from. The clasp was broken, but I fixed it this morning so that I could wear it." Al took a closer look. The beads were slightly translucent, allowing him to see the tiny silver string inside. The beads themselves were all different shades of blue and green. One glittering black stone was threaded in the middle. It reminded Al of Kaia's hair. Now that it had miraculously grown, her natural color showed through almost down to her shoulders. To call it blue would be inaccurate. The main color was a bright atomic turquoise. It was streaked with a neon lime green and a bright aqua color was flecked in her bangs. It was such an unnatural color, but it seemed to fit her well.

Kaia cleared her throat and looked at Ed. He even stopped eating for a moment to look back at her. He had a pair of chopsticks halfway from his mouth. Noodles dangled from his lips. He stared silently at her. He knew that look. That was the look she used when she wanted something.

"What?" Ed asked warily.

"I was thinking. It's still pretty early, so I figured that I could go and get the materials I need for the transmutation. I can get those pretty quickly, so I could have you taller before dinnertime." Kaia gained speed as she talked. She felt rushed to get it all out.

"Why are you in such a hurry to do this anyways?" Kaia turned slightly pink. She always blushed if she was trying to hide something. "Kaia…" Ed warned. "What is it?"

"It's nothing! Nothing to worry about! So can we go out and get the components after lunch?" She blushed even more. Something was definitely up. Ed was about to question her further, but the colonel interrupted.

"Why don't you take her, Alphonse?" Mustang suggested. Al started shaking his head and waving his hands.

"No, I really don't think… I mean, brother's her teacher!" Al didn't really have a reason. He just didn't want to be alone with the girl that made him feel like all his secrets were advertised with his every step.

"Why not, Al? It could be fun for you." Ed was practically volunteering him.

"So then it's settled. If that's all right with you, Al…" Kaia looked over at him. Al would have been sweating heavily under her gaze, if he had a body.

"Yeah…sure…Why don't we get going?" Al didn't really have any other choice. Kaia jumped up and the pair excused themselves.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

The two teenagers walked through the throngs of people in Central's marketplace. Kaia stayed behind Al so she could watch her surroundings without the danger of running into someone. People tended to steer clear of a spiked seven foot suit of armor, so she wouldn't have to worry about people being in her way if she stayed near him. Anxiety practically poured off Al. Kaia hadn't said anything to him yet. Finally she stopped watching the people around them and turned to Al.

"You don't need to be so nervous. It's not like I'm going to bite you or anything. I wouldn't draw my knives on you either. Besides, it's not like I'd do much damage anyways with you in that armor. Doesn't it get uncomfortable wearing that around all day?" Kaia was really making Al nervous now.

"I—I don't really mind it," Al stammered. Kaia looked at him for a moment and stopped walking. Al stopped too.

"It must be annoying to clean that out." She gestured to his knee. A small piece of bread was poking out. Al's mind went into overdrive.

"Yeah! I must have dropped a little bit while I was eating! I'm so clumsy! Brother will help me get it out though," he babbled. Kaia cut him off.

"You don't have to pretend for me, Al. I know you're hollow inside. Your reaction just confirmed it." Kaia fixed him with her piercing eyes. "It's a very impressive soul bond."

"How—how did you know?" Al looked down at her, meeting her gaze for the first time with his soul fire eyes.

"Your presence just doesn't feel normal. Definitely human, but not normal. It was pretty easy to piece together after that." Al was slightly cheered at her words. She thought he was human. Kaia started walking.

"Aren't you going to ask how I got this way?" Al clunked after her. She looked back over her shoulder.

"No. That's your business, not mine. If you want to tell me you will. I'm always open to talk if you feel like it." She turned to look in a shop window and then made her way to the door. She looked back to see Al standing where she had left him. "Well? Are you coming?" Al jogged over, startling several people walking by. He was glad that Kaia was going to leave it like that.

Kaia bought a new pack of chalk, some calcium, and some raw lime with some of the money given to her by Mustang because Ed "wasn't going to fund her damn failures." He could be so harsh sometimes. They walked around a bit more, occasionally stopping in stores for Kaia to buy more raw elements. She insisted on carrying her own bags, though Al offered time and time again to carry them for her. They weren't heavy, but it was a nice gesture.

A while later they were walking back to central command with a few more bags in tow. Al had coaxed Kaia into letting him take some of the packages. They walked in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. Kaia's mind was obviously far away, thinking of grander things than the bleak street in front of her.

"Kaia?" Al said. She glanced over at him, eyes slightly unfocused. "Thanks."

"For what?" she asked dully. If Al could have smiled he would have.

"For not asking." Kaia gave herself a moment to process the information, then nodded once.

"Sure." The two lapsed back into their relaxed silence. Al was glad to have said what he did. It seemed to have gone over well. Kaia, on the other hand, was unsure of how to react. She was glad that she had done the right thing in not asking, but she didn't know how to respond to Al's calm gratitude. No one ever thanked her back where she came from. It was a foreign concept, but a nice one. Her lips curved in a gentle smile and she punched Al's arm lightly. She thought she would get along well with him.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Kaia burst through the door to Mustang's office. The knob slammed into the wall. Mustang winced. The poor wall was taking so much abuse. It never did anything to hurt anyone, why did it deserve to suffer? Kaia strode in, dumping her bags on the floor. Al set the ones he carried next to hers.

"All right, Ed! Let's do this!" Ed glanced up at her from his seat. He was comfortable where he was.

"Set it up over here. I don't want to move." Ed waved his hand at his general vicinity. Kaia glanced over at Mustang and, after promising that she could clean it all up, began to draw a complex array on the ground near Ed.

Upon completing that she pulled Ed to his feet. He complained the entire time. Kaia looked him over, and something about her gaze made Ed stand up taller. He still only reached her chin.

"How tall do you want to be?" Kaia asked the question as if it was pretty standard. Ed had to stop and think. He had never seriously considered transmuting himself taller, and so never really thought over how tall he would want to be. Of course he fantasized about towering over Al, but did he really want to be stuck that way? It would be awfully inconvenient.

"A head taller than you," Ed concluded. Kaia raised her eyebrows and tipped her head slightly. She began to measure out some of the elements she had bought. She scooted Ed over into the middle of the transmutation circle and laid the elements around his feet.

"How exactly are you planning on doing this?" Ed was getting a bit nervous. This could potentially have some serious consequences, considering it was human alchemy. His own stubbornness had prevented him from seeing that earlier.

"I'm going to use these elements to supplement the material you already have in your body as I basically stretch you out. Since the soul of a normal human is anchored throughout the entire body I won't mess it up because I'm just going to make everything grow proportionally. It'll be just like you had grown on your own." Flawless reasoning yet again. Kaia looked up from the ground, silently asking permission to begin. Ed nodded once and squinted his eyes shut. Kaia clapped her hands.

"You know, it's silly for me to clap my hands when I'm using a transmutation circle, but it feels weird to do alchemy without it," she mused.

"I know the feeling." Ed wished she would just get on with it. She laughed and put her hands on the circle, pressing the energy forward. A vortex of silver-blue energy swirled around Ed. He became a silhouette. At first nothing appeared to change, but then he began to grow. Kaia's hair whipped around gently as the currents tugged at her. After about thirty seconds she lifted her hands from the array. She stood and watched as the light died down. The top of her head just barely brushed the bottom of his chin, until he collapsed. Kaia caught him and pivoted so that he landed on the couch. He looked dazed, but that wasn't terribly surprising. Kaia took a hold on his wrist and began to count.

"Your pulse and breathing rates are a bit elevated, but regular. That's good. You should be feeling weak and a bit heavy, but"

"No shit," Ed mumbled.

"But that's what I expected. I didn't want to tell you because I knew that you'd object. Your body, muscles especially, are basically less dense than normal. You'll need to eat lots of protein and calcium. I made calcium tablets for you because Al so kindly told me that you don't care for milk,"

"It's like drinking vomit," Ed quipped.

"Regardless. Your body knows how it was, so it will absorb all the nutrients more effectively than normal. If you rest and eat like I say then you'll be back how you were in three days. That's why I wanted to do it today. The three days take up the rest of my week deadline." She smiled. Ed groaned. She had it all planned out from the start. Kaia was eerily reminding him of Mustang. "I'm going to fix your auto-mail tomorrow. For now you need to rest."

"What do you mean fix it?"

"In case you hadn't noticed your foot doesn't even touch the floor anymore. I'll study it and make the necessary modifications. I can do it so that it'll be exactly the same as it was, just re-proportion it to fit your new body." Kaia had also planned this out. She had bought some high grade metal to use in his auto-mail. Getting to learn about the workings of these advanced prosthetics just added to Kaia's benefits.

"My new body…" Ed murmured.

"That's inaccurate. Your old one, just modified." Kaia smiled down at him. "And since you're not going anywhere for the next three days…you can start up on your end of the bargain." She surveyed him carefully, an evil glint in her eye.

"Bargain?" Ed's frazzled brain was having a hard time keeping up.

"Yes. I won because I made you taller with my alchemy. Now you have to teach me everything you know!" She giggled. Ed sweatdropped. This was getting better and better. Kaia's grin faded into a gentle smile. "We'll start with that tomorrow. You need to rest." After forcing a calcium tablet down his throat Kaia instructed Al to carry Ed to bed. The young alchemist was asleep before Al even got to their room. There was one thing that Al knew for certain.

These were going to be a long three days.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

**Before I forget! I've been having a bit of a brain fart lately. I've been forgetting to put the disclaimer down.**

**Kaia: shame…shun…light a fire…**

**Ed: Okay…**

**So here it is. If I owned FMA Mustang and Hawkeye would have had some more relationship development. In other words, I don't own FMA.**

**Mustang: I'm glad you finally realize my value.**

**Hawkeye: Keep a civil tongue, colonel. I don't want you getting any ideas.**

**Mustang: Miniskirts!**

**Havoc: I'll follow you forever Mustang!**

**Both: *Dramatic poses***

**Hawkeye: *exasperated***

**Anyhow… thanks for reading… I'm still looking for some help with getting a better summary up. The story will later on include six anti-homunculi, ruled by one all-powerful being.**

**Al: Please help us out. It would mean a lot.**

**Kaia: Review as well. We all love it when the authoress is happy because it means less suffering for us.**

**Ed: *reads over book conclusion* *blushing* She wrote this after reading reviews.**

**Ed: *reading over random scene* *death-gloom* She wrote this after not having reviews.**

**Mustang: In short, reviews make a happy authoress and a happy authoress means better chapters with a shorter wait.**

**Kaia: So review!**

**~Click the shiny review button to be a part of the sacred guild of the**

**Precious Kittens~**


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